US-Russia Spat: Faces At The Heart Of The Feud

The fresh wave of US sanctions against Russia include banning some of the country's richest and most influential businessmen - and President Vladimir Putin's closest friends - from entering America.

Among the individuals targeted with and travel bans and freezing of US assets are billionaire brothers Arkady and Boris Rotenberg.

The co-owners of SMP Bank and SGM Group, a major supplier of construction services to Russian gas giant Gazprom, were judo sparring partners with Mr Putin.

The pair - friends of Mr Putin since childhood - also made billions in Sochi Olympics-related contracts.

Financier Yuri Kovalchuk, the largest shareholder of Bank Rossiya, is a personal banker for senior Russian officials - including, reportedly, Mr Putin. He is another close friend - and a neighbour - of the president.

They have known each other since the early 1990s when Mr Kovalchuk was deputy mayor of St Petersburg.

The bank - also on the hit list - serves some of the country's wealthiest officials and controls two big insurance firms - Sogas and SK Transneft.

Russian businessman Gennady Timchenko

High-level Kremlin officials including Mr Putin's chief of staff Sergei Ivanov and deputy chief of staff Alexei Gromov are also targeted, as well as Vladimir Yakunin, chairman of the board of the Russian state-owned company Russian Railways and a close confidant of the president.

Gennady Timchenko, a prominent businessman and owner of the private investment group, Volga Group, which specialises in investments in energy, transport and infrastructure assets is also named by the US.

President Putin's spokesman said some of the names on the list caused "nothing but extreme bewilderment" - and Russia immediately responded with its own list of sanctions on American officials.

These included Obama aides Caroline Atkinson (deputy assistant and deputy national security adviser for international economics), Daniel Pfeiffer (senior adviser and assistant ), and Benjamin Rhodes (assistant and deputy national security adviser for strategic communications and speechwriting), as well as senators Mary Landrieu, John McCain and Daniel Coats.

Mr McCain, the former Republican presidential candidate, and Mr Putin have long been engaged in a bitter personal feud.

During their last war of words in September 2013, the US senator accused Mr Putin of corruption, repression and self-serving rule in an opinion piece for a Russian website in response to a letter Mr Putin wrote in The New York Times, urging America not to use military force in Syria.

White House staff Daniel Pfeiffer and Caroline Atkinson

In an opinion piece headlined "Russians Deserve Better Than Putin", Mr McCain also accused the president of being "a friend to tyrants and an enemy to the oppressed" for siding with Syria's President Bashar al Assad.

Back in December 2011, Mr Putin let his views be known on Mr McCain after the US politician tweeted "Dear Vlad, The #ArabSpring is coming to a neighbourhood near you" at a time of huge protests across Moscow.

When pressed about the tweet during a televised phone-in, the Russian president hit back, calling the senator "nuts".

"Mr McCain fought in Vietnam. I think he has enough blood of peaceful citizens on his hands. It must be impossible for him to live without these disgusting scenes anymore," he said.

Mr Putin added: "Mr McCain was captured and they kept him not just in prison, but in a pit for several years. Anyone [in his place] would go nuts."

Earlier this month, Speaker of the House John Boehner, also on the Russian list, called Mr Putin a "thug" over its actions in Crimea, according to The Enquirer.

The Republican told the Cincinnati newspaper it was "time to stand up to Putin", adding: "At what point do you say enough is enough? We are at that point."

He, and Senators Landrieu, McCain and Coats hailed their inclusion on the Russian list as a "badge of honour", while the White House refused to comment.

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Ukraine Crisis: EU Sanctions For More Russians

Faces Caught In The Middle Of US-Russia Spat

Updated: 8:45pm UK, Thursday 20 March 2014

The fresh wave of US sanctions against Russia include banning some of the country's richest and most influential businessmen - and President Vladimir Putin's closest friends - from entering America.

Among the individuals targeted with and travel bans and freezing of US assets are billionaire brothers Arkady and Boris Rotenberg.

The co-owners of SMP Bank and SGM Group, a major supplier of construction services to Russian gas giant Gazprom, were judo sparring partners with Mr Putin.

The pair - friends of Mr Putin since childhood - also made billions in Sochi Olympics-related contracts.

Financier Yuri Kovalchuk, the largest shareholder of Bank Rossiya, is a personal banker for senior Russian officials - including, reportedly, Mr Putin. He is another close friend - and a neighbour - of the president.

They have known each other since the early 1990s when Mr Kovalchuk was deputy mayor of St Petersburg.

The bank - also on the hit list - serves some of the country's wealthiest officials and controls two big insurance firms - Sogas and SK Transneft.

High-level Kremlin officials including Mr Putin's chief of staff Sergei Ivanov and deputy chief of staff Alexei Gromov are also targeted, as well as Vladimir Yakunin, chairman of the board of the Russian state-owned company Russian Railways and a close confidant of the president.

Gennady Timchenko, a prominent businessman and owner of the private investment group, Volga Group, which specialises in investments in energy, transport and infrastructure assets is also named by the US.

President Putin's spokesman said some of the names on the list caused "nothing but extreme bewilderment" - and Russia immediately responded with its own list of sanctions on American officials.

These included Obama aides Caroline Atkinson (deputy assistant and deputy national security adviser for international economics), Daniel Pfeiffer (senior adviser and assistant ), and Benjamin Rhodes (assistant and deputy national security adviser for strategic communications and speechwriting), as well as senators Mary Landrieu, John McCain and Daniel Coats.

Mr McCain, the former Republican presidential candidate, and Mr Putin have long been engaged in a bitter personal feud.

During their last war of words in September 2013, the US senator accused Mr Putin of corruption, repression and self-serving rule in an opinion piece for a Russian website in response to a letter Mr Putin wrote in The New York Times, urging America not to use military force in Syria.

In an opinion piece headlined "Russians Deserve Better Than Putin", Mr McCain also accused the president of being "a friend to tyrants and an enemy to the oppressed" for siding with Syria's President Bashar al Assad.

Back in December 2011, Mr Putin let his views be known on Mr McCain after the US politician tweeted "Dear Vlad, The #ArabSpring is coming to a neighbourhood near you" at a time of huge protests across Moscow.

When pressed about the tweet during a televised phone-in, the Russian president hit back, calling the senator "nuts".

"Mr McCain fought in Vietnam. I think he has enough blood of peaceful citizens on his hands. It must be impossible for him to live without these disgusting scenes anymore," he said.

Mr Putin added: "Mr McCain was captured and they kept him not just in prison, but in a pit for several years. Anyone [in his place] would go nuts."

Earlier this month, Speaker of the House John Boehner, also on the Russian list, called Mr Putin a "thug" over its actions in Crimea, according to The Enquirer.

The Republican told the Cincinnati newspaper it was "time to stand up to Putin", adding: "At what point do you say enough is enough? We are at that point."

He, and Senators Landrieu, McCain and Coats hailed their inclusion on the Russian list as a "badge of honour", while the White House refused to comment.

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Kabul: Foreigners Among 9 Killed In Hotel Attack

Four foreigners were among nine people killed when teenage gunmen attacked a luxury hotel in Kabul, officials have confirmed.

Afghan authorities initially said only two security guards were injured during the attack on the Serena hotel.

But deputy interior minister General Mohammad Ayub Salangi confirmed on Friday that nine people, including two children, were killed in a restaurant in the hotel.

The foreign victims included two men and two women, from Canada, New Zealand, India and Pakistan. Five Afghan people were also killed.

Sardar Ahmad, an Afghan reporter at the Agence France-Presse news agency, was among the victims.

Ahmad was shot dead along with his wife and two of his three children.

Four gunmen hid pistols inside their socks as they passed through metal detectors at the hotel, hid for three hours and then stormed into the restaurant, according to interior ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi.

A security perimeter is put around the hotel the morning after the attack

The attack ended around 11:30pm when Afghan security forces killed the last of the attackers.

The Serena Hotel is considered one of the safest places to stay in Kabul because of its tight security. It is used by UN staff and prominent Afghan politicians.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the attack.

He said: "Our people, if they decide to attack any place, they can do it."

In 2008, gunmen disguised as police stormed the Serena Hotel and killed six people inside a gym.

The attack is the latest in a spate carried out by insurgents seeking to disrupt the presidential election on April 5.

It comes after 11 people were killed in a separate attack on a police station in Jalalabad, eastern Afghanistan.

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Missing Plane: Air France Families 'Dismayed'

By Sarah Hajibagheri, Sky News Producer

The families of the Air France flight AF447 crash victims have written a touching letter to the relatives of those on board the missing Malaysia Airlines plane, offering their support.

In the open letter, published by a German association of family members of the 228 people who were killed, they express their "sympathy and compassion in these days of utmost anxiety".

The letter is critical of the handling of the disappearance by authorities investigating the disappearance of flight MH370.

"We are completely dismayed about the vague and partially contradicting information policy by the Malaysian government," the families say.

Relatives of those on flight MH370 have faced an agonising wait for news

They also urge the relatives of passengers, who hail from 14 different countries, to approach their respective national governments to put pressure on the Malaysian military and civil authorities to speed up their investigations and quickly release their findings.

The letter was shared on Facebook by the Families and Friends of American Eagle Flight 4184, a group set up after a plane crash in Indiana in 1994 killed all 68 people on board.

But it is the Air France tragedy which has so far drawn most comparisons with the Malaysia Airlines mystery.

It has been nearly five years since the Airbus A330 took off from Rio de Janeiro, bound for Paris.

Debris from Air France flight AF447 was pulled from the Atlantic in 2009

On June 1, 2009, the plane plunged into the Atlantic Ocean, killing all 228 passengers and crew on board.

Just like MH370, the jetliner disappeared from radar and a daunting search and rescue operation ensued.

Bodies and debris from the flight emerged in the days and weeks following the crash, but investigators took nearly two years to retrieve the main wreckage and black box recorders.

The final report into the disaster found the flight was doomed by a combination of ice build-up, mechanical failure and pilot error.

Malaysian officials have been accused of offering limited information

Aviation experts who were involved in the search for the Air France plane have arrived in Malaysia to help with the investigation.

It is hoped they might be able to help provide answers for the families of the 239 passengers and crew who, 12 days on, are still missing.

Some 26 countries are searching an area larger than Australia for any sign of the aircraft.

As China joined the hunt, angry relatives of the 154 people from the country who were on the plane threatened to go on hunger strike unless they were given more information from authorities.

A major search involving 26 countries is under way to locate the aircraft

Investigators have not uncovered any evidence suggesting there was a plot to hijack or bring down the aircraft, although both theories remain a possibility.

Authorities believe someone on board the flight intentionally switched off two vital pieces of communication equipment and deliberately diverted the aircraft.

Satellite data suggest the plane flew for at least seven hours.

The backgrounds of pilots Zaharie Ahmad Shah and Fariq Abdul Hamid are being checked, as are those of ground engineers who worked on the aircraft before it took off.

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Ukraine: Pro-Russia Forces Storm Navy HQ

Pro-Russian forces have reportedly stormed the Ukrainian navy's headquarters in the Black Sea port of Sevastopol.

An Associated Press photographer said he witnessed several hundred of Crimea's self-defence forces storm the base and three Russian flags are reportedly flying over the building.

There were conflicting reports about the level of violence involved in the incident, with Interfax reporting that Ukrainian troops were injured after the gates were rammed as the assault began.

But a Ukrainian naval spokesman told Reuters there had been no violence and several men in plain clothes - believed to be from the "self-defence" forces - were in talks with servicemen on the base.

Mr Lavrov, left, spoke to Mr Kerry by telephone

A Reuters witness saw around a dozen Ukrainian servicemen walk out of the base unarmed some 90 minutes after the pro-Russia forces entered.

Sky News Foreign Affairs Editor Sam Kiley said: "This is an example of the sort of incident that could trigger something much more dangerous."

The incident coincides with US warship the USS Truxtun, a guided-missile destroyer, starting a one-day military exercise in the Black Sea with the Bulgarian and Romanian navy.

Russian forces on a military operation at a Ukrainian base in Simferopol

As tensions rose in Crimea, Ukraine's acting defence minister vowed his country's troops would not withdraw from the peninsula after Vladimir Putin signed a treaty making it part of Russia.

Russia's foreign minister has said sanctions imposed over its intervention in Crimea are "unacceptable and will not remain without consequences".

Sergei Lavrov condemned the measures implemented by the United States and the EU after a telephone call with US Secretary of State John Kerry.

It came after Russian President Vladimir Putin defended a referendum in which Crimeans voted overwhelmingly to join Moscow, insisting the poll was legal.

He said he did not want to "carve up" Ukraine but warned the West had "crossed a line" over the former Soviet country.

There was a peaceful night in Crimea after troops stormed an army base in Simferopol, killing one soldier.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk accused Russian troops of perpetrating a "war crime", although witnesses said there was no immediate evidence they were behind the attack.

Mr Lavrov's conversation with Mr Kerry comes as the United States prepares to meet its G7 allies, including Britain, next week to discuss possible "further steps" against Russia.

Sanctions imposed by the US - which describes Russia's actions in Crimea as "nothing more than a land grab" - include travel bans and asset freezes on several prominent officials.

Russian forces took control of the Black Sea peninsula last month after the toppling of pro-Moscow Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich.

On Tuesday, Mr Putin and Crimean leaders signed a treaty making the region part of Russia.

The treaty, which parliament is expected to begin ratifying within days, said: "In the hearts and minds of people, Crimea has always been and remains an inseparable part of Russia."

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Malaysia Jet May Have Been Seen By Thai Radar

Missing Plane: Air France Families' Sympathy

Updated: 7:07am UK, Wednesday 19 March 2014

By Sarah Hajibagheri, Sky News Producer

The families of the Air France flight AF447 crash victims have written a touching letter to the relatives of those on board the missing Malaysia Airlines plane, offering their support.

In the open letter, published by a German association of family members of the 228 people who were killed, they express their "sympathy and compassion in these days of utmost anxiety".

The letter is critical of the handling of the disappearance by authorities investigating the disappearance of flight MH370.

"We are completely dismayed about the vague and partially contradicting information policy by the Malaysian government," the families say.

They also urge the relatives of passengers, who hail from 14 different countries, to approach their respective national governments to put pressure on the Malaysian military and civil authorities to speed up their investigations and quickly release their findings.

The letter was shared on Facebook by the Families and Friends of American Eagle Flight 4184, a group set up after a plane crash in Indiana in 1994 killed all 68 people on board.

But it is the Air France tragedy which has so far drawn most comparisons with the Malaysia Airlines mystery.

It has been nearly five years since the Airbus A330 took off from Rio de Janeiro, bound for Paris.

On June 1, 2009, the plane plunged into the Atlantic Ocean, killing all 228 passengers and crew on board.

Just like MH370, the jetliner disappeared from radar and a daunting search and rescue operation ensued.

Bodies and debris from the flight emerged in the days and weeks following the crash, but investigators took nearly two years to retrieve the main wreckage and black box recorders.

The final report into the disaster found the flight was doomed by a combination of ice build-up, mechanical failure and pilot error.

Aviation experts who were involved in the search for the Air France plane have arrived in Malaysia to help with the investigation.

It is hoped they might be able to help provide answers for the families of the 239 passengers and crew who, 12 days on, are still missing.

Some 26 countries are searching an area larger than Australia for any sign of the aircraft.

As China joined the hunt, angry relatives of the 154 people from the country who were on the plane threatened to go on hunger strike unless they were given more information from authorities.

Investigators have not uncovered any evidence suggesting there was a plot to hijack or bring down the aircraft, although both theories remain a possibility.

Authorities believe someone on board the flight intentionally switched off two vital pieces of communication equipment and deliberately diverted the aircraft.

Satellite data suggest the plane flew for at least seven hours.

The backgrounds of pilots Zaharie Ahmad Shah and Fariq Abdul Hamid are being checked, as are those of ground engineers who worked on the aircraft before it took off.

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Oscar Pistorius Trial Hears From Gun Supplier

A firearms supplier has told the Oscar Pistorius murder trial that the athlete had a "great love and enthusiasm" for guns.

Firearms training academy manager Sean Rens told the court he met the double-amputee runner in 2012 and that Pistorius asked to be provided with a revolver.

Mr Rens said Pistorius was familiar with rules for using guns and had filled out a questionnaire when applying for new permits.

He said Pistorius told him of one occasion when he had feared intruders were in his home and he had drawn a weapon.

He went into "code red" or "combat mode" after hearing a noise in his house but it turned out to be from the tumble dryer, Mr Rens said.

Pistorius had tweeted about the incident in November 2012, saying: "Nothing like getting home to hear the washing machine on and thinking its an intruder to go into full combat recon mode into the pantry!"

The tweet has since been deleted from his Twitter account.

The athlete's sister Aimee spoke with June Steenkamp in court

At the start of the day Ms Steenkamp's mother June  - attending for the first time since the opening day - appeared to acknowledge the athlete and spoke to his sister Aimee in the courtroom.

Pistorius, who won two gold medals at the Paralympics in London in 2012, is charged with premeditated murder.

He is also accused of illegally possessing ammunition, as well as two further counts related to shooting a gun in public in two separate incidents before the killing.

The athlete denies the charges and says he shot Ms Steenkamp, 29, by mistake after mistaking her for an intruder.

More follows...

:: Watch a special Sky News programme on the trial at 9.30pm, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

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Missing Plane: Police Probe Flight Engineer

Investigators say they are looking into the background of one of the passengers on board the missing Malaysia Airlines plane.

Mohd Khairul Amri Selamat said on social media sites he was a flight engineer working for a Swiss-based private jet charter company.

The 29-year-old's apparent experience means he would have a knowledge of in-flight computer systems and be able to carry out repairs.

The missing plane could have landed at hundreds of locations. Pic: WNYC

However, as an engineer specialising in executive jets, he would not necessarily have had the skills required to divert and fly a Boeing 777.

A senior police official with knowledge of the investigation said: "The focus is on anyone who might have had aviation skills on that plane."

Authorities have also been focusing on the men at the controls - Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah and his first officer, Fariq Abdul Hamid.

Michael McCaul, the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, said US intelligence was focusing on the two pilots.

The senior US politician also suggested hijackers may have landed the plane and be planning to use it "as a cruise missile" in a 9/11-style terror attack.

But a friend of Mr Zaharie has told Sky News he doubts he had anything to do with the jet's disappearance.

The search for the plane has dramatically widened as satellite data suggests the Boeing 777, which had 239 people on board, flew for at least seven hours - more than six hours after it lost contact with air traffic control.

It has been claimed it could have landed at one of more than 600 runways spread across at least a dozen countries.

Mr Hamid, left, and Mr Zaharie were the pilots on the missing jet

Researchers at WNYC searched for runways with a length of at least 0.95 miles (1.52km) within a radius of 2,530 miles (4,070km) from the aircraft's last known position.

Some 634 runways, stretching from the India-Pakistan border to the northeast coast of Australia, matched those requirements - many of them in remote, inaccessible places

The number of countries involved in the search for the plane has nearly doubled over the past two days to 26, after satellite and military radar data projected two large corridors the plane might have flown through.

The northern corridor stretches in an arc over south and central Asia, while the other swoops deep into the southern Indian Ocean towards Australia.

Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 disappeared with 239 people on board

Malaysia has announced that it was deploying its naval and air force assets to the southern corridor, with Australian vowing substantial assistance.

Some experts believe the plane is most likely to have flown southwest towards the Indian Ocean, as the northwesterly route would have taken it through numerous national airspaces in an area monitored extensively by satellites.

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Landslide Crimea Vote To Split From Ukraine

Foreign Secretary William Hague has warned of "long term costs and consequences for Russia" following Crimea's decision to break away from Ukraine.

Voters there have voted 97% in favour of breaking away from Ukraine to join Russia, paving the way for sanctions by the West - which has dismissed the poll as a "sham".

Speaking ahead of an emergency meeting of European foreign ministers in Brussels, Mr Hague said: "It will be a very strong statement and quite important measures for the individuals concerned.

"We are prepared to move to further measures. There will be long-term costs and consequences for Russia if they continue to approach things in this way ... They have done nothing to de-escalate so far."

The White House also restated its rejection of the referendum in the southern Black Sea region and branded Russia's actions "dangerous and destabilising".

The referendum saw a landslide in favour of Crimea joining Russia

Hinting at additional sanctions, Barack Obama told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin the West was ready to "impose additional costs" on Moscow for violating Ukraine's sovereignty.

European diplomats have been drawing up a list of Russian officials who will be hit with travel bans and asset freezes.

President Putin has insisted the vote is legal and promised to "respect" the result.

The final count was 96.77% in favour of joining, said head of the referendum commission Mikhail Malyshev on Monday.

The result was expected as ethnic Russians make up 58% of the population

Crimea's regional government will make a formal application to join Russia on Monday, its pro-Moscow leader Sergei Aksyonov said on Twitter.

Thousands gathered in the Crimean capital Simferopol ahead of the results, waving Russian and Crimean flags as patriotic songs played and fireworks lit up the sky.

People also turned out to celebrate in Sevastopol, where the Russian navy's Black Sea Fleet is based.

Lucia Prokorovna, 60, carrying a giant Russian flag said: "We're free of the occupation. Ukraine was attached to Crimea like a sack of potatoes."

The vote, branded illegal by Kiev and Western powers, has triggered the worst East-West crisis since the Cold War and threatens to escalate the crisis in Ukraine.

The intervention of Russian military forces in the region, following the ousting as president of Kremlin ally Viktor Yanukovych last month, led to accusations the poll was conducted "at the barrel of a gun".

Moscow justified the occupation of Crimea, saying it wished to protect the majority ethnic Russian population.

The Ukraine crisis has led to a Cold War-style stand-off

The referendum came against a backdrop of unrest in the divided eastern Ukraine, which has seen pro-Russian demonstrations turn violent.

Kiev has accused "Kremlin agents" of stoking violence in Russian-speaking cities such as Donetsk and urged people not to be provoked into retaliating because clashes could be used by Moscow as an excuse for further interventions.

Moscow also raised the stakes after Russian forces, backed by helicopter gunships and armoured vehicles, took control of the Ukrainian village of Strelkovoye and a nearby gas plant.

It was the first Russian military move into Ukraine beyond the Crimean peninsula and while the troops returned the village, they kept control of the gas plant.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk has vowed to bring the Crimean politicians who called the referendum to justice, warning: "The ground will burn under their feet."

In a statement, the White House said: "In this century, we are long past the days when the international community will stand quietly by while one country forcibly seizes the territory of another."

Foreign Secretary William Hague also said the UK would not recognise the outcome of the vote, condemning it as "a mockery of proper democratic practice".

He argued sanctions were needed to "send a strong signal to Russia that this challenge to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Russia will bring economic and political consequences".

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Ukraine Accuses Russia Of 'Military Invasion'

Ukrainian authorities have accused Russia of carrying out a "military invasion" after reportedly deploying troops in an area bordering Crimea.

It is claimed 120 soldiers, supported by helicopters and armoured personnel carriers, have landed near the village of Strelkovoye on Arbatskaya Strelka, and seized a gas distribution station.

The move is being seen as significant as the split of land, is outside the troubled southern region of Crimea, and signals an extension of Moscow's military intervention in Ukraine.

Russian forces apparently tried to enter Arbatsyka Strelka

It had initially been reported Ukrainian forces had repelled an attempt by Russian forces to enter the area, which is about 70 miles long and runs parallel to the east of Crimea.

The Ukrainian foreign ministry is demanding the immediate withdrawal of Russian troops.

It said in a statement: "Ukraine reserves the right to use all necessary measures to stop the military invasion by Russia."

Thousands of anti-war protesters have gathered in central Moscow

Washington's UN representative has branded any new Russian troop movement in south Ukraine an "outrageous escalation".

Tensions are running high as polls opened for the controversial referendum on whether Crimea should break away from Ukraine.

There were reports of advanced Russian surface-to-air missiles being mobilised in the east of the Crimean peninsula.

Two people were shot dead in clashes between pro-Kiev and pro-Moscow activists in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv yesterday.

Speakers at the pro-Putin rally denounced Ukrainian "fascists"

Ukraine's interim interior minister said the two men, aged 20 and 31, were killed and several others wounded during the late-night gun battle.

Arsen Avakov claimed around 30 people "from both sides" were arrested, and he accused Russian activists of provoking the clashes.

A pro-Russian rally in Donetsk also turned violent with demonstrators storming the offices of the national security service, taking down the Ukrainian flag, and raising the Russian one.

Ukraine has accused "Kremlin agents" of stoking violence in Russian-speaking cities and urged people not to be goaded into fighting back because clashes could be used by Moscow as a precursor for further incursions.

Ukraine's east has seen regular clashes between rival groups in recent days

The unrest has escalated in the Russian-speaking east of the country since Moscow's military invention in Ukraine's Crimean peninsula following the ousting of Kremlin ally, President Viktor Yanukovych last month.

The referendum on Crimea joining the Russian Federation further ratcheted up the tensions.

Russia has vetoed a Western-backed resolution at the UN condemning the Crimea referendum but China abstained, isolating Moscow further on the crisis.

The UK's ambassador to the UN Mark Lyall Grant responded by accusing Russia of "military adventurism".

He said: "This resolution was designed to prevent further escalation of the crisis in Ukraine.

Mr Lavrov and Mr Kerry could find no common ground on the Crimean vote

"It was about sending a clear signal that holding a referendum in Crimea would take us further away from a diplomatic solution.

"The resounding message from today's vote is that Russia stands isolated in this Council, and in the international community."

Moscow justified last week's military occupation of Crimea by saying it wished to protect ethnic Russians and has not ruled out moving its troops further afield to protect its compatriots.

America and the European Union have warned Russia of sanctions, including asset freezes and travel bans unless the vote is called off.

Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has said such measures would be a "counter-productive instrument".

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Crimea Vote Fuels Fear Of Discrimination

When the polls open in Crimea today there will be some voters staying away - Tatars living outside of the region.

Most are refusing to return to take part in the referendum on joining the Russian Federation, insisting the poll is illegal.

 Elvina Musaeva, a young Tatar who has moved to the capital Kiev to study, says: "I have Crimean residency, but I will not vote for sure. The referendum is not legitimate. The decision is already made. This is a political issue."

The friends she is sharing dinner with in a restaurant in the capital all agree that the result of the referendum is a forgone conclusion.

The balance of the population in Crimea favours Russia. But it's a painful history under a former Soviet leader which makes them fear what may happen now.

Elnara Abdullaiera says the forced deportation of Tatars by Stalin in 1944 has left a permanent psychological scar.

After accusing them of colluding with the Nazi, Stalin banished hundreds of thousands of her people.

Crimean Tatars during rallies in Simferopol last month

Elnara says: "They cannot face deportation again. They cannot bear to moved again. Many lost everything."

After seeing the violent clashes in Crimea on television, Elnara begged her mother to leave the region.

"I feel the danger. I am afraid for the life of my mother, afraid for the life of my father," she says.

"But my mother says I don't want to live anywhere else. This is my home. I don't want to go to another place. My mother says this is our homeland."

Many families lost properties, money and livelihoods during the mass deportations. Only returning decades after to try to rebuild their lives.

There's no doubt that experience feeds into their determination to stay in Crimea and fuels their antipathy of the Russian government.

Crimean expert Natalya Berlitser says Tatars are right to be wary.

Tatars say they are afraid of impending Russian control

She believes if the referendum goes Russia's way, which seems certain, then over time they will face discrimination, especially as they have been openly critical of President Putin's move.

"We have to remember the history with Russia," she says.

"My concern for the Crimean Tatars is that in the initial period there will not be any drastic measures against them. But when the world turns away, when the international protectors of Ukraine's independence like the US and the UK get distracted by other crises, when they look away, then they (the Tatars) will become targets."

That's a worrying scenario for Tatars inside and away from Crimea.

They acknowledge that their failure to vote will make the backing for Russia seems all the stronger. But they are resigned to a result that can only cause problems for them.

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Crimea Referendum Strains East-West Relations

By Nick Martin, News Correspondent in Simferopol

The Crimean people are voting in a referendum widely expected to transfer control of the Black Sea region from Ukraine to Moscow, despite an outcry and threat of sanctions from the West.

The vote, dismissed by Kiev and Western governments as illegal, has triggered the worst East-West crisis since the Cold War and marks a new peak in turmoil in Ukraine.

Voting will end at 6pm UK time.

It follows events in November when the now ousted President Viktor Yanukovych walked out on a trade deal with the European Union sparking violent protests in Kiev.

More than 2,000 polling stations and two million ballot cards have been hastily printed since the referendum was announced more than two weeks ago.

Election commission officials count ballots ahead of the referendum

But the vote has split even the closest-knit families many of whom say they want their peninsula to be governed in different ways.

Elena Kruglova, 26, said Crimea should remain part of Ukraine while her mother Lyna Losyeva is staunchly pro-Russian.

She said: "Two weeks to organise a referendum doesn't give people the chance to make a proper decision.

"At the moment, the way the referendum works there are two choices, Russia, or Russia.

"We are not being given the option to stay the way we are."

But her mother, who remembers being part of the former Soviet Union until Ukraine gained independence in 1991, disagrees.

She said: "I was born in a time when there was no difference between Russia and Ukraine and in the Soviet Union we didn't feel any differences.

"But my daughter was born in a different time.

"What do I expect from Russia? I expect that Russia will listen to us, to Crimean people because for 23 years Ukraine didn't listen to us."

Polling booths are readied for the crucial breakaway vote

Earlier this week Crimea's new Prime Minister Sergei Aksyonov told Crimeans to "be calm and hopeful" and told reporters the referendum would be "open and transparent".

International observers were finally allowed into the region on Saturday having been prevented from crossing the border for several weeks.

More than 20,000 Russian troops are now stationed within Crimea whilst Ukrainian television channels have been taken off air and replaced by programmes operated by Moscow.

Flights from Kiev in the north have been cancelled in the run up to the election with the promise of them being reinstated after the vote.

Despite Russian's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry talking daily since the crisis began a diplomatic solution has not been reached.

Johannes Anderson, an expert in Crimean affairs, believes Russia has a "grand plan" for Crimea.

He said: "I think there's been a long-time dream for Russia to reincorporate Crimea into the Greater Russian empire.

"This is a broader trend of Russia pushing its imperial ambitions.

"Ukraine has been growing and emerging as an economy in recent years and this is Russia attempting to destabilise that growth and stamp its authority on the region."

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