Russia’s lower house of parliament, the Duma, has overwhelmingly approved a treaty to annex Crimea from Ukraine.<br /><br />On March 21, the upper house of parliament, the Federation Council, will hold a similar vote – completing the ratification process of a treaty already signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin.<br /><br />Ukrainian soldiers in the eastern region of Donetsk have been consolidating their base near Andriivka, some 50 kilometres from the Russian border.<br /><br />In Crimea itself, pro-Russian troops have taken over three Ukrainian warships in Sevastopol, according to the Ukrainian navy.
