Armed Men Storm Parliament in Crimea

Updated Feb. 27, 2014 8:02 a.m. ET

Dozens of pro-Russian armed activists took control of the Crimean Parliament this morning, WSJ’s Paul Sonne gives us an update on what it is like on the ground in Simferopol in the south of Ukraine. Photo: AP

SIMFEROPOL, Ukraine—Dozens of armed men took control of the parliament and local government offices in the Ukrainian region of Crimea early Thursday, barricading themselves inside and raising a Russian flag above the building.
The commandeering of the building marks a sharp escalation of events in the ethnically Russian-dominated region that has become a flashpoint for a backlash against the pro-Western protesters that drove Ukraine’s pro-Kremlin leader from power on Saturday.

Reporters’ Photos From Ukraine.

Ukraine’s acting interior minister, Arsen Avakov, said on his Facebook page that Ukraine’s military and police had been put on alert.
The occupation comes a day after a tense standoff outside the regional parliament building between thousands of pro-Russian protesters and Crimean Tatars who had largely backed the protest movement that forced President Viktor Yanukovych from power.
Some of the more radical Russian locals in Crimea—a Black Sea peninsula that belonged to Russia until 1954 and remains home to Russia’s Black Sea fleet—are demanding that the autonomous region secede or once again become part of Russia.
Moves to take over the building began after the dueling rallies had ended, when more radical members of the pro-Russian group began building a barricade around the entrance to the parliament using wood and other construction materials from a nearby church that had been undergoing renovations, said Leonid Khazanov, a 57-year-old local artist who said he helped build the blockade.

Pro-Russia activists stand with Crimean and Russian flags in front of the Crimean parliament. European Pressphoto Agency

“We are for Russia,” he said.
During the competing protests, Ukrainian and Crimean flags flew over the building. On Thursday, the Ukrainian flag had been replaced by a Russian one. Signs held up during the previous day’s protest also made up part of the barricade. One read: “Crimea is Russia.”
The chairman of Crimea’s Council of Ministers, Anatoly Mogilyov, said the men then took control of the government offices around 4 a.m. Mr. Khazanov said the group numbered about 50 men, most of whom had military or security backgrounds.

Police officers guard the Crimean parliament building in Simferopol, Ukraine, on Feb. 27. Agence France-Presse/Getty Images

“While we cannot say who these people are, negotiations with them will begin,” Mr. Mogilyov said. “Everything is under control. It is a negotiation process.”
He said no one has been harmed and that security personnel were on the scene. Mr. Mogilyov said that all government work had been suspended until the matter is resolved.
“I am deeply convinced that the government of Crimea will settle the situation without consequences for our citizens,” he said.
Witnesses said reporters who attempted to enter the parliament early Thursday were driven back when one of the gunmen threw a flash grenade at them. The building was later surrounded by local police who pushed all bystanders away.
Mr. Mogilyov later broke off talks after the armed men told him they weren’t authorized to negotiate and make demands. He said they gave him their phone numbers so talks could continue later.
On Wednesday, Mr. Avakov said his main task was to prevent the outbreak of armed conflict in Crimea. He said his instructions to all police and security personnel in the region were clear: “Don’t provoke any sort of conflict or armed standoff with civilians at any cost.”
There are worries that an outbreak of violence in the region could lead to Russian military intervention. Russian officials have said there are no plans to do so, but others have said Russia has an obligation to protect its military installations and citizens if need be. On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered military preparedness testing for 150,000 Russian soldiers, including some stationed around 200 miles from the Ukrainian border.

Write to Paul Sonne at paul.sonne@wsj.com and Lukas I. Alpert at lukas.alpert@wsj.com

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