PUTIN: CRIMEA IS ‘PART OF RUSSIA’

Ukrainian servicemember is killed on base

MOSCOW In a move without re cent parallel, President Vladimir Putin signed a treaty Tuesday to make Crimea part of Russia rather than Ukraine, which has claimed it for 60 years.

In doing so, two days after Crimeans voted overwhelmingly to join the Russian Federation, he ignored condemnations from the United States and Europe, which he said conspired with radicals to try to keep Russia from its rightful territory.

“In people’s hearts and minds, Crimea has always been an integral part of Russia,” Putin said, describing the takeover as “democratic” and “legal” and necessary to prevent encroachment against Russia.

Vice President Biden, in Poland to assure European allies of a U.S. commitment to their security, called Putin’s move a “blatant violation of international law” that will be met with stronger sanctions than those that failed to prevent the “land grab.”

As Russian troops drilled on the border of eastern Ukraine, soldiers broke into a Ukrainian military base in Crimea and killed one serviceman and captured several others.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk blamed Russia, saying the crisis “has gone from the political stage to the military by the fault of the Russians.”

Putin’s move is unprecedented in recent history: International law holds that a region cannot secede from its nation in a referendum not approved by that country’s government.

The U.S. Civil War was fought over that principle. Scotland may soon hold a referendum to break from England, but the vote was approved by London.