March 2, 2014 4:18 a.m. ET
Russia Extends Reach in Crimea
A gunman in unmarked uniform stands guard as troops take control the the Coast Guard offices in Balaklava on the outskirts of Sevastopol, Ukraine, on Saturday. Associated Press
Ukraine's interior minister said Sunday that Russian officials have approached Ukrainian officers remaining in Crimea and offered them immediate Russian citizenship.
"Across the entire territory of Crimea, Russian emissaries and military officers have invited the remaining Ukrainian interior ministry troops to take Russian citizenship and immediately receive Russian passports," Arsen Avakov wrote on his Facebook FB -0.70% Facebook Inc. Cl A U.S.: Nasdaq $68.46 -0.48 -0.70% Feb. 28, 2014 4:00 pm Volume (Delayed 15m) : 65.62M AFTER HOURS $68.03 -0.43 -0.63% Feb. 28, 2014 7:59 pm Volume (Delayed 15m): 1.28M P/E Ratio 112.23 Market Cap $174.56 Billion Dividend Yield N/A Rev. per Employee $1,242,230 02/28/14 Crystal Ball: Test Your Predic... 02/28/14 The 10-Point: Gerard Baker on ... 02/27/14 5 Things to Do to Protect Teen... More quote details and news » FB in 
Your Value Your Change Short position page. "This appeal has been aimed at upper and middle officer corps troops."
Battlefields in Ukraine
Heavily armed units believed to be Russian soldiers effectively seized control of Ukraine's Crimean peninsula—home to Russia's Black Sea fleet—over the past several days. On Saturday, Russia's parliament authorized President Vladimir Putin to use military force in Ukraine, raising fears in the West that Russian forces may move further into Ukraine.
Mr. Putin has defended Russia's right to intervene in Ukraine because of the "real threats to the life and health of Russian citizens and many compatriots on Ukrainian territory."
He warned in a phone call late Saturday with U.S. President Barack Obama that "if the violence spreads further in the eastern regions of Ukraine and Crimea, Russia reserves the right to defend its interests and those of the Russian-speaking population that lives there."
While Russia has claimed violence against its citizens in Ukraine, few of the reports have been independently confirmed.
Mr. Avakov denied that Ukrainian forces had threatened the Russian-speaking population on the largely pro-Russian peninsula, and blamed Russian forces for the sharp militarization of the region.
"In Crimea, there are no forces from the interior ministry or the regular army threatening citizens of the Russian Federation or the Russian-speaking population," he said. "And also no self-defense units from Maidan have arrived from Kiev. All destabilization in the Crimea has come from and been masterminded in Russia."
Maidan is Kiev's central square that served as the heart of a wave of antigovernment protests that toppled the government of pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych on Feb. 22.
Crimea's Challenge
Ukraine's Crimea region has become the flashpoint for a backlash against the pro-Western protesters that drove President Viktor Yanukovych from power. View the interactive.
Write to Lukas I. Alpert at lukas.alpert@wsj.com
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