Russia Issues Ultimatum To Ukraine Military: Leave Crimea By 10PM Tonight

Russia today issued an ultimatum to Ukraine, saying that if the Ukraine military is not withdrawn from Crimea by 10PM tonight (NYC time), there will be a “military storm.”

Aleksandr Vitko, Russia’s Black Sea fleet commander, said that “ff they won’t surrender by 5 a.m. tomorrow (10 p.m. ET Monday) there will be a military storm on all UA (Ukraine Armed) military forces all over Crimea,” Interfax reported, citing a source in Ukraine’s Defense Ministry. A Ukrainian Defense Ministry spokesman, Vladislav Seleznyov, told CNN that members of the Russian military are going to Ukrainian military bases in Crimea and demanding surrender. The Russian troops are threatening “harsh reaction” if the Ukrainians don’t comply, Seleznyov said.

John Kerry will hold a press conference shortly and I’ll add that video to this post. This is all reminding me of the opening scenario in the nuclear war classic, Threads.