WASHINGTON — Russia is threatening to launch a full-scale attack on Ukrainian forces in Crimea unless they voluntarily surrender, Ukrainian officials said Monday, leading the United States to warn that the region was headed for a “dangerous escalation.”
“The ultimatum is to recognize the new Crimean authorities, lay down our weapons and leave, or be ready for an assault,” said Vladyslav Aseleznyov, regional ministry spokesman for Crimea.
A Russian Defense Ministry spokesman in Moscow dismissed the report of the ultimatum as nonsense.
But the US State Department was taking it seriously.
Spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the ultimatum, if true, would “constitute a dangerous escalation of the situation for which we would hold Russia directly responsible.”
The Russians demanded two Ukrainian Black Sea warships surrender or be stormed and seized, according to Maksim Prauta, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry spokesman.
The Ukrainian commanders and crew are “ready to defend their ships . . . They are defending Ukraine,” acting Ukrainian President Oleksandr Turchynov said.
There were no indications Monday that Russia intended to back off .
Days earlier, Russian-speaking troops wearing uniforms without insignia surrounded Ukrainian military bases in Crimea, which houses Russia’s Black Sea fleet.
President Obama, who on Friday had cautioned Russia against sending in soldiers, said Monday, “No country has a right to send in troops to another country unprovoked.”
Obama said the US was weighing a “whole series of steps, economic, diplomatic, that will isolate Russia.”
“Over time, this will be a costly proposition for Russia,” he said.
He warned that Russia was “on the wrong side of history.”
Among other developments:
- Ukraine’s UN mission in New York said Russia had deployed 16,000 troops to Crimea.
- Markets fell around the world, while Russia’s stock market dove 10 percent and the Russian ruble hit a new low against the dollar. The central bank hiked interest rates from 5.5 to 7 percent to prop up the currency.
- Oil surged to a high for the year of $104.92 a barrel, up 2.3 percent.
- German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said, “We are in the most serious crisis for Europe since the fall of the [Berlin] Wall,” and warned that there was “a real danger of a split in Europe.”
- US and European officials began work in Geneva on an economic aid package to bolster Ukraine, while Obama asked Congress to support him on an assistance package.
- Vice President Joe Biden phoned Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev to urge Moscow to “pull back its forces” and start a dialogue.
- Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov justified the invasion, saying it was a matter of “defending our citizens and compatriots.”
There were new indications the US was preparing sanctions and other measures to gain leverage and avert further Russian advances.
Officials were targeting travel and investment opportunities for Russian officials responsible for the invasion.
“We’re not just considering sanctions. Given the acts that Russia is taking, it is likely that we’ll put that in place, and we’re preparing that now,” said State spokesman Psaki.
Secretary of State John Kerry was scheduled to be in Kiev Tuesday to show support for the new government that took power last week amid fears Russia might try to grab more territory in eastern Ukraine.
The European Union condemned Russia’s actions and threatened its own sanctions.