Crimea declares independence from Ukraine to join Russia

SIMFEROPOL: Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula declared itself an independent nation Monday after its residents voted overwhelmingly to secede and try to join Russia.
 Ukraine’s political turmoil has become Europe’s most severe security crisis in years and tensions are high since Russian troops seized control of Crimea two weeks ago. Large amounts of Russian troops are also massed near the border with Russian-speaking eastern Ukraine, which has sharp political differences with the country’s new government in Kiev, according to a news agency.
The U.S., EU and Ukraine’s new government do not recognize the referendum held Sunday in Crimea, saying it violates both Ukrainian and international norms. Moscow, however, considers the vote legitimate and Russian President Putin was to address both houses of parliament Tuesday on the Crimean issue.
The Crimean parliament declared that all Ukrainian state property on the Black Sea peninsula will be nationalized and become the property of the Crimean Republic. Lawmakers also asked the United Nations and other nations to recognize it and began work on setting up a central bank with money from Russia.
Crimean lawmakers said they were flying to Moscow later Monday to discuss annexation by Russia.