The Crimean Parliament on Tuesday said it would declare itself independent if its residents approve a referendum on March 16, which would split off the peninsula from the rest of Ukraine, and essentially be under Russian auspices. The legal maneuver has been viewed as illegitimate by the U.S. and European powers. It may however help to de-escalate simmering tensions, which have manifested in recent weeks within the region.
With the referendum vote just days away, U.S.President Barack Obama is scheduled to meet with Ukraine Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk on Wednesday, a move meant to stress that the White House will continue to support the existing Ukrainian government.
"There is an opportunity here to prevent this situation from becoming more acute, and to prevent the costs to Russia from becoming higher," said Jay Carney, the White House press secretary.
Obama and other Western leaders have argued that the referendum would violate international law.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, however, has underscored that the Crimean Parliament had every right to hold a referendum to serve its Crimean citizens, in the wake of the Euro maidan protests.
"The steps taken by the legitimate leadership of Crimea are based on the norms of international law and aim to ensure the legal interests of the population of the peninsula," Putin argued.
The Crimean Parliament's move is "a message to the West that there is not talk about Russia incorporating Crimea. It's a tranquilizer for everybody - for the West and for many in Ukraine who are panicking," said Vadim Karasyov, a political analyst, as reported by CBS News.
Tensions have considerably increased in southern and Eastern Ukraine ever since President Viktor Yanukovych was ousted from the country in late February after months of protests. The Russian military has ever since occupied many parts of Crimea.
A spike of violence has also been directed at the international press there as well, in a report filed by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).
"Oleana Maksimenko, a journalist for the Ukrainian weekly Tyzhden, and Oles Kromplyas, a freelance photojournalist, were reported missing after being detained by armed men in uniforms at a checkpoint at the entry to Crimea from mainland Ukraine, according to news reports and Oksana Romaniuk, director of the Kiev-based press freedom group Institute of Mass Information," as reported by CPJ.
"We call on parties to respect the law and to stop trying to intimidate and obstruct the media," said Nina Ognianova, who serves as the CPJ Europe and Central Asia Program Coordinator.
The Institute of Mass Information reported that "at least seven journalists working for outlets including the Ukrainian TV channels... were physically assaulted."
Government agencies, like the Organized Security Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which have tried to quell the volatile situation in Crimea, were hit with resistance by the Russian military. Warning shots were reportedly fired on Sunday while the OSCE's multilateral military observer team was at a checkpoint near Armyansk.
"Russia says it doesn't know who is blocking the free access to the peninsula - as a signatory to the Vienna Document, Russia should publicly call for free access for these monitors. Russia has voiced concerns about security in Crimea. For this reason, Russia should strongly support getting these monitors on the ground," said Daniel Baer, the U.S. Ambassador to the OSCE.
