Russian leaders told foreign press Monday that Chinese leaders are largely in agreement with the Russian invasion of part of Ukraine.

Russian troops have now surrounded military bases in Crimea and are preventing Ukrainian soldiers from being able to move anywhere within that area as Russian forces reinforce their positions.

Russian forces have also taken control of a port in the city of Kerch on the eastern edge of Crimea.  The Crimean peninsula has a large Russian speaking population and the Russian leadership says their forces are there to protect those people.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague told Sky News that we’re in the midst of the most serious crisis that Europe has faced in the 21^st century.  The news of the invasion and the possibility of impending war have created a major impact on world markets, with Russia’s stock market down 10 percent.

The seven members of the G8 with Russia have called on Russia to respect the sovereignty of the Ukraine and called on them to remove themselves from Ukrainian territory.