Russia sending thousands of troops to Crimea

UKRAINE: Ukraine accused Russia Saturday of sending thousands of extra troops into Crimea as the Kremlin vowed to help restore calm on the flashpoint peninsula and Washington warned of "costs" to Moscow should it use force.
Defence Minister Igor Tenyukh told the Ukrainian government's first cabinet session that Russia's armed forces had sent 30 armoured personnel carriers and 6,000 additional troops into Crimea in a bid to help local pro-Kremlin militia gain broader independence from the new pro-EU leaders in Kiev, according to a news agency.
Tenyukh accused Russia of starting to send in these reinforcements Friday "without warning or Ukraine's permission."
The defence chief spoke as dozens of pro-Russian armed men in full combat gear patrolled outside the seat of power in Crimea's capital Simferopol. Similar gunmen had seized the city's parliament and government buildings Thursday and taken control of its airport and a nearby military base Friday.