Russian Army 'Deployed' In Crimea: 'Swarmed Major Thoroughfares, Encircled Buildings, Closed Main Airport, Seized Communication Hubs'

'Black Shark' - Russian Attack Helicopter: Ka-52 Helicopter at a 2009 Aeroshow
(Photo by Sergey Vladimirov)

By ALISON SMALE and DAVID M. HERSZENHORN
Russian armed forces seized control of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula on Saturday, as the Russian Parliament granted President Vladimir V. Putin broad authority to use military force in response to the political upheaval that dislodged a Kremlin ally and installed a new, staunchly pro-Western government.

Russian troops stripped of identifying insignia but using military vehicles bearing the license plates of Russia’s Black Sea force swarmed the major thoroughfares of Crimea, encircled government buildings, closed the main airport and seized communication hubs, solidifying what began on Friday as a covert effort to control the largely pro-Russian region. 

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