Armed men take control of two airports in Crimea

Video taken at the scene showed the men patrolling inside the airport and standing guard outside. Flights continued to operate; no shots were fired.

William Booth, WashPost, 2/28/2014

SIMFEROPOL, Ukraine — Several hundred armed men in green camouflage, without insignia and carrying military-style automatic rifles, entered and secured areas of the civilian airport in Crimea’s regional capital of Simferopol early Friday.

In Kiev, Ukraine’s new interior minister, Arsen Avakov, said the armed men were Russian troops.

“What is happening can be called an armed invasion and occupation. In violation of all international treaties and norms. This is a direct provocation for armed bloodshed in the territory of a sovereign state,” Avakov said.

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