Ukraine: 'Snipers on the bank' at Belbek air base

Crimea has become the major focus of post-uprising Ukraine, as troops in what appear to be Russian uniforms surround Ukrainian military bases.

In a sign of the extreme fragility, a Russian soldier fired three volleys of shots over the heads of Ukrainian airmen who marched unarmed towards their aircraft at Belbek air base near Sevastopol.

After a stand-off in which the two commanders shouted at each other and Russian soldiers levelled rifles and rocket-propelled grenade launchers at the Ukrainians, the incident was defused and the Ukrainians eventually dispersed.