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An Ukranian officer leaves the navy southern headquarters base in Novoozerne after it was taken by the Russian forces on March 19, 2014. Ukraine’s acting president warned Crimea’s Kremlin-backed leaders on March 19 they had only three hours to release the captured head of the splintered ex-Soviet country’s navy or face “an adequate response”. Kiev also announced a raft of urgent measures aimed at severing its ties with Moscow that included the withdrawal from a Kremlin-led alliance of 11 nations and the introduction of travel visas for Russians seeking entry into Ukraine. AFP PHOTO / FILIPPO MONTEFORTE