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World europe Ukraine Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk speaks during a press conference held at the Defense Ministry Headquarters in Kiev, Ukraine, on March 18, 2014. Andrew KravchenkoEPA

Tensions in the disputed region of Crimea reached new heights Tuesday as Ukraine said a military officer was killed shortly after Russia formally annexed the breakaway peninsula.

Interim Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk blamed Russian forceswhom he said stormed a Ukranian military outpost near the city of Simferopolfor the killing, and warned the conflict is shifting from a political to a military stage.

Today, Russian soldiers began shooting at Ukrainian servicemen, he said, according to AFP. This is a war crime.

His claim could not be immediately verified, but if true, it would mark the first fatality in clashes between the two countries militaries during the weeks-long crisis in Crimea.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, delivering a televised address to the countrys parliament on Tuesday, defended his countrys decision to absorb the region after it voted Sunday to split from Ukraine.

Crimea has always been an integral part of Russia in the hearts and minds of people, Putin said.

Read more:

Ukraine Says Soldier Killed as Russia Moves on Crimea