News.Kyiv.Me.

Putin declares Crimea ‘sovereign and independent’

array(4) {
[“src”]=>
string(0) “”
[“alt”]=>
string(0) “”
[“width”]=>
string(0) “”
[“height”]=>
string(0) “”
}
[“intro”]=>
array(7) {
[“src”]=>
string(118) “/emedia/apimage/8ea098f69349478eb8e53f1397041576-0d6d7ebdc0f64271a7cdb657e7657579-f38b7539b75ab80a4e0f6a706700a080.jpg”
[“alt”]=>
string(0) “”
[“width”]=>
string(0) “”
[“height”]=>
string(0) “”
[“link”]=>
string(0) “”
[“filter”]=>
string(0) “”
[“caption”]=>
string(293) “Women read prayers at a cross placed near the Parliament in Kyiv Ukraine, Monday, March 17, 2014. Ukraine’s political turmoil has become Europe’s most severe security crisis in years and tensions have been high since Russian troops seized control of Crimea two weeks ago. (AP Photo/David Azia)”
}
[“is_tcaggregator”]=>
bool(false)
[“tcaggregator_image”]=>
string(0) “”
[“tcaggregator_url”]=>
string(0) “”
[“is_aggregator”]=>
bool(false)
[“aggregator_image”]=>
string(0) “”
[“aggregator_url”]=>
string(0) “”
[“title”]=>
string(49) “Putin declares Crimea ‘sovereign and independent'”
[“gallerytitle”]=>
string(0) “”
[“subtitle”]=>
string(0) “”
[“blurb”]=>
string(0) “”
[“keyphrase”]=>
string(0) “”
[“author”]=>
string(0) “”
[“apid”]=>
string(32) “0d6d7ebdc0f64271a7cdb657e7657579”
[“position”]=>
string(0) “”
[“twithandle”]=>
string(0) “”
[“email”]=>
string(0) “”
[“byline”]=>
array(2) {
[“name”]=>
string(0) “”
[“sid”]=>
string(0) “”
}
[“redirect”]=>
bool(false)
[“comments”]=>
string(2) “on”
[“default_node”]=>
string(11) “2018395:220”
[“canonical_url”]=>
string(60) “/220/3584307/Putin-declares-Crimea-sovereign-and-independent”
[“canonical_link”]=>
string(60) “/220/3584307/Putin-declares-Crimea-sovereign-and-independent”
[“desc”]=>
string(115) “- Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree recognizing Crimea as a “sovereign and independent country.””
[“text”]=>
string(492) “

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.”
[“stime”]=>
int(1395082032)
[“mtime”]=>
int(1395082032)
[“meta_modify”]=>
string(8) “03172014”
[“atime”]=>
int(0)
[“ctime”]=>
int(0)
[“nodate”]=>
string(0) “”
[“notitle”]=>
string(0) “”
[“nodesc”]=>
string(0) “”
[“display”]=>
string(0) “”
[“toolstat”]=>
string(0) “”
[“trailstat”]=>
string(0) “”
[“notopshare”]=>
string(0) “”
[“nobottomshare”]=>
string(0) “”
[“nosizing”]=>
string(0) “”
[“nofourpic”]=>
string(0) “”
[“nogoogad”]=>
string(0) “”
[“noindex”]=>
bool(false)
[“norefresh”]=>
bool(false)
[“twitter”]=>
string(0) “”
[“ap_video_id”]=>
string(0) “”
[“graceland”]=>
bool(false)
[“facebook_shares”]=>
string(1) “0”
[“facebook_likes”]=>
string(1) “0”
[“tweets”]=>
string(1) “0”
[“rank”]=>
string(3) “336”
}
–>

MARIA DANILOVA
Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree recognizing Crimea as a “sovereign and independent country.”

The Kremlin said Putin signed the decree on Monday, the day after the Black Sea peninsula voted to declare independence from Ukraine and seek annexation by Russia.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.