Russia Stands Fast on Crimea as Ukraine Boosts Defenses
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Russia showed no signs of yielding in the Crimea standoff as Ukraine bolstered its defenses before its prime minister meets U.S. President Barack Obama tomorrow.
In addition to testing its military’s combat readiness, Ukraine may mobilize 20,000 people to protect borders, Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said today. Russia has vowed to defend the ethnic Russians who dominate the Crimean peninsula after an uprising unseated Ukraine’s Moscow-backed leader. It rejects the legitimacy of the new cabinet in Kiev.