Ukraine parliament forms new volunteer defence force

KIEV (AFP) - Ukraine's parliament on Thursday voted unanimously to create a new National Guard of 60,000 volunteers who could stand up in the face of Russia's expansionist threat.

The 262-0 vote in the Verkhovna Rada parliament came ahead of Sunday's disputed referendum in Crimea, now under control of Russian forces, on the Black Sea peninsula's switch to Kremlin rule.

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