Russia demands 2 Ukraine warships surrender
By DAVID McHUGH and DALTON BENNET, Associated Press
Mar 3, 2014 10:33 AM CST
Russia demands 2 Ukraine warships surrender
Ukrainian soldiers stand guard at the gate of a military base in the port of Kerch, Ukraine, Monday, March 3, 2014. Pro-Russian troops controlled a ferry terminal on the easternmost tip of Ukraine's Crimea region close to Russia on Monday, intensifying fears that Moscow will send even more troops into...   (Associated Press)

KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine says Russian forces controlling the strategic region of Crimea are demanding that the crew of two Ukrainian warships must surrender.

Ukrainian Defense Ministry spokesman Maksim Prauta said four Russian navy ships were blocking Ukraine's anti-submarine warship Ternopil and the command ship Slavutych in Sevastopol's harbor.

He said the Russians ordered the crew to surrender within the hour or face Russians storming and seizing the ships and crew.

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