Crimean airports occupied on Friday

Pro-Russian militia forces blockaded Ukrainian region of Crimea’s two main airports on Friday.

Arsen Avakov, the Interior Minister of Ukraine, confirmed the news, calling the foreign presence “an armed invasion” and “violation of all international agreements and norms”.

The airport in Crimea capital Simferopol was the first to be occupied, as armed men, some with Russian flags, arrived overnight. Some of them described themselves as “volunteers” from “the People’s Militia of Crimea”, a structure that was formed this week amidst the first sparks of tensions between Crimea Tatars and ethnic Russians in the region.