President Obama just announced new sanctions against Russian and Ukrainian officials. "We have fashioned these sanctions to impose costs on named individuals who wield influence in the Russian government and those responsible for the deteriorating situation in Ukraine," the White House said in a statement.

Following Sunday's overwhelming vote in favor of secession, Crimea's parliament declared the region's independence from Ukraine on Monday and formally asked to join the Russian Federation. As expected, officials in Kiev, the U.S., and the E.U. have denounced the vote, calling it illegal and threatening sanctions.

In a particularly unsurprising result, Crimea has motioned to secede from Ukraine and join Russia with 95.5% of voters in the referendum in favor of the secession. Western leaders have called the vote "illegal" and have threatened economic sanctions on Russia in response.

[Election commission workers prepare for a referendum at a polling station in Crimea, Ukraine, on Friday. Crimea plans to hold a referendum on Sunday that will ask residents if they want the territory to become part of Russia. Image via Andrew Lubimov/AP.]

U.S. Secretary of State arrived in London on Friday to hold last-ditch talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov ahead of Sunday's proposed referendum in Crimea, which, if passed, would allow Russia to annex the region from Ukraine. Kerry hopes to delay the vote with threats of sanctions, though it's expected to take place as scheduled.

A Ukrainian military base in Sevastopol, Crimea is reportedly under siege by Russian forces. No shots have been fired, and the Ukrainian soldiers have taken shelter inside a bunker, according to the commander at a nearby Ukrainian base.

[A Ukrainian Navy officer looks at the scuttled decommissioned Russian vessel "Ochakov" from the Black Sea shore of western Crimea on Thursday. In the early hours of Thursday Russian naval personnel scuttled the ship, blockading access for five Ukrainian Naval vessels now trapped inside of the Southern Naval Headquarters. Image via Darko Vojinovic/AP.]

In a move that should surprise no one, leaders from Russia's parliament said on Friday that they welcome Crimea's proposed March 16 referendum, which would allow Crimean citizens to vote to secede from Ukraine and join the Russian Federation. Yesterday, President Obama said the referendum would "violate the Ukrainian constitution and international law."

In a statement this afternoon, President Obama said the proposed referendum in Crimea "would violate the Ukrainian constitution and international law." The president also said the sanctions imposed this morning by the U.S. "give us the flexibility to adjust our response going forward based on Russia's actions."

On Thursday, Crimea's parliament voted unanimously to join the Russian Federation and scheduled a referendum on the matter for March 16.

On Wednesday, a gang of 10 to 15 gunmen threatened a senior U.N. diplomat in Crimea, eventually forcing him to leave the region just hours after after he arrived to evaluate the invasion by the Russian military.

During their meeting today in Paris, Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey V. Lavrov failed to broker a face-to-face meeting between Russian and Ukrainian leaders. Kerry and Lavrov will meet again tomorrow in Rome.

Just hours ahead of his scheduled meeting in Paris with Secretary of State John Kerry, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov repeated Russia's widely mocked claim that the pro-Russian "self-defense" forces who have seized Crimea are not under Russian command.

President Obama refuted Russian President Putin's claims that troops wearing unmarked uniforms in Crimea are members of local pro-Russian militias, not Russian soldiers. "I don't think that's fooling anybody," Obama said. Meanwhile, Russia reportedly test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile this afternoon.

Abby Martin works for RT, aka Russia Today, the English-language, Kremlin-managed cable news station that's been wackadoodle with its Ukraine coverage. On Monday, Martin blasted Russia's invasion as "wrong." But did she go off the reservation, or just add a layer to Putin's propaganda offensive?

Early Tuesday morning, as John Kerry arrived in Kiev, pro-Russian troops fired warning shots at about 300 unarmed Ukrainian solders outside of the seized Sevastopol, Belbek airbase in Crimea. The confrontation was captured on video and broadcast on Sky News.

On Tuesday, Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Kiev—$1 billion in guaranteed loans for Ukraine in tow—as Russian President Putin backtracked somewhat, saying military force would be used only as a "last resort," though he maintained the right to use "all options" in the crisis. Meanwhile, the Crimean prime minister told reporters that the majority of Ukrainian troops in Crimea have either surrendered or pledged allegiance to his government.

According to reports in Ukrainian media, Russia issued an ultimatum on Monday that all Ukrainian military forces in Crimea must surrender by 5:00 a.m. (10 p.m. EST) or face immediate military intervention. Earlier in the day, reports surfaced that Russia's military issued a similar ultimatum to three Ukrainian warships stationed in the Black Sea. Russia has denied both claims, which a spokesman in Moscow described as "ridiculous."

According to the spokesman for Ukraine's defense ministry, four Russian Navy ships have surrounded two Ukrainian warships in Crimea and demanded their surrender. If Ukraine fails to comply by 5:00 a.m., Russia reportedly said the ships will be stormed and seized.

Late Saturday night, acting president of the Ukraine Oleksandr Turchynov, ordered the country's armed forces to full readiness in response to aggression from Russia, whose parliament voted unanimously in favor of troop deployment yesterday after covertly entering the Crimean peninsula.