The government of Ukraine balked at Russian President Vladimir Putin's announcement Tuesday that "Crimea has always been an inalienable part of Russia." Earlier in the day, Putin signed a treaty annexing Crimea as part of the Russian Federation.
Speaking at a joint press conference, acting Ukrainian President Oleksandr Turchynov and Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk denounced Russia's claim of Crimea. Turchynov said that Putin is "mimicking the fascists of the last century," while Yatsenyuk described Russia's annexation of Crimea as "a robbery on an international scale."