Crimea parliament declares independence

Pro-Moscow assembly members in Crimea have voted for independence from Ukraine in a precursor to a referendum this weekend for the region to become part of Russia.

The local assembly approved a "declaration on the independence of the autonomous republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol" with 78 out of 81 lawmakers present voting in favour.

The move by the parliament, which has been declared illegal by the new government in Kiev, appeared to be aimed at creating a legal framework for joining Russia as a sovereign state.

The parliament's press service said in a statement that independence would come into force after the referendum if the result is in favour of Crimea becoming part of the Russian Federation.

Western nations have said they will not recognise the referendum as legitimate.

If Crimea votes to join Russia it will be the first country to do so since the fall of the Soviet Union.

Speaking on Tuesday, Ukraine's ousted President Viktor Yanukovich accused his country's new government of creating a civil war and criticised the West for supporting it.

Speaking in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, Yanukovich repeated the Russian claim that the new Ukrainian authorities allowing far-right factions to take over the country, describing the new government as a "bandit regime" and said that their claim to power was illegitimate.

"I would like to ask those from the West, are you blind, have you forgotten fascism?" Yanukovich said. He also reiterated that he was still the legitimate leader of Ukraine and hoped to return.

"I remain not just the sole legitimate president of Ukraine but also commander-in-chief," he said, appealing to the armed forces to defy any "criminal orders" handed down by his foes.