Russia surrounds military bases in Crimea

Russian military forces engage&nbsp;in a standoff with Ukrainian soldiers in the autonomous Crimean Peninsula, with the Russians overtaking key military installations. The Ukrainian republic is predominantly Russian-speaking.

Ukraine's new Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk says his country has no military means to force Russia out of its Crimea region after masked troops encircled strategic facilities.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov insisted on Saturday that Russia has 'no intention' of pushing farther into eastern Ukrainian, despite an estimated 50,000 troops currently amassed on the Ukrainian border.

Ukraine Crisis

As the Ukrainian crisis escalates, Viktor Yanukovych, the country's ousted former leader, accuses the West of fuelling a coup. Russian President Vladimir Putin backs those claims and denies&nbsp;he has&nbsp;deployed Russian troops to Crimea. Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry warns Moscow not to intervene militarily in Ukraine, or face economic and political isolation.

Key players and what they are saying about the Ukraine crisis

German Chancellor Angela Merkel sits in the German parliament in Berlin on March 13,  when she warned Moscow that if it continues its current course in the Ukraine crisis, Russia risks 'massive' political and economic consequences.

Germany Ukraine

Key players in the Ukraine crisis

Russian military masses in Crimea, Ukraine

Violence erupts as pro-Russian activists clash with supporters of Kyiv's new pro-European Union government. People backing the Kremlin carry Russian tri-colour flags to rallies in the Crimean capital of Simferopol.

Russian troops have taken control of Ukrainian border posts in Crimea, as well as all military facilities and key government buildings on the Black Sea peninsula, fuelling fears in Kyiv and the West that Russia may seize other parts of Ukraine.

A Cossack stands guard near the Crimean parliament building in Simferopol, March 6, 2014. Crimea's parliament voted to join Russia on Thursday and its Moscow-backed government set a referendum within 10 days on the decision in a dramatic escalation of the crisis over the Ukrainian Black Sea peninsula. David Mdzinarishvili/Reuters

Cossack guard

Ukraine protests: Yanukovych ousted, Tymoshenko released

In the lead-up to the latest situation in Crimea that has drawn in Russia and the U.S., blood is spilled&nbsp;in February in Kiev's Maidan&nbsp;after snipers fire live ammunition into crowds of anti-Yanukovych protesters. The former Ukrainian leader goes into hiding and opposition figure Yulia Tymoshenko is released from prison.

The two sides in Ukraine are locked in a battle over the identity of the nation of 46 million, whose loyalties are divided between Russia and the West, with parts of the country in open revolt against the central government.

Ukrainian opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko addresses anti-government protesters gathered at Independence Square in Kiev February 22, 2014. Tymoshenko was freed by her jailors on Saturday during the dramatic ouster of President Viktor Yanukovich, but an emotional speech from her wheelchair won a mixed response from Kiev's Independence Square. REUTERS/Yannis Behrakis (UKRAINE - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS) - RTX19C5F

Ukraine crisis: Follow the story in pictures

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