Ukraine is trying to mobilize its troops to face Russian forces — but does it have the military might to do it?
Ukraine's acting Defense Minister reportedly told parliament in a closed door meeting the country did not have the forces to resist Russia. That according to reporting from CNN. (Via CNN)
And Russian media are reporting Ukrainian forces are resigning "en masse" in the autonomous Crimea region, where there's an ethnic Russian majority. (Via RT)
Still, Ukraine's national security and defense council says it's putting its forces on "full combat readiness," and is also calling for mobilization of reserve troops. (Via ITN)
At a glance — according to Balkan News:
- Ukraine has 160,000 active military personnel to Russia's 766,000.
- Where Russia spends an estimated $90.7 billion on its military, Ukraine spends $4.8 billion.
- Ukraine has about 10,500 tanks and armored fighting vehicles to Russia's more than 43,000. (Image via USMC)
Russia still hasn't confirmed that it deployed these troops, but Ukrainian officials are reporting armed men in military uniforms in the region. (Via euronews)
That prompted international headlines suggesting imminent war — despite this plea from the UN: (Via The Economist, The Christian Science Monitor, The Irish Times)
"Cool heads must prevail, and dialogue must be the overture in ending this crisis." (Via United Nations)
Now, new Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk did call Russian troop deployment a "declaration of war" — and President Obama reportedly told Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin the troops were violating international law.
Russia says it has the right to protect its interests in Ukraine — with the Kremlin saying there are "real threats to the life and health of Russian citizens" in Ukraine. (Via ABC)
NATO will be holding an emergency meeting Sunday in Brussels to talk about the situation in Ukraine.
