Unidentified soldiers at Simferopol airport in Crimea. (VOA/Elizabeth Arrott)

The crisis in the Ukraine accelerated Saturday morning, as Russian forces mobilized to capture military installations across Crimea.

SEE ALSO: Credit Cards Blocked In Russia As Sanctions Kick In

CNN is reporting that Russian special forces stormed the Belbek Airbase in Crimea, injuring one journalist and lining up Ukrainian soldiers. The Ukrainian Defense Ministry also announced a pro-Russian contingent attacked and successfully took control of the Novofederoskoe military base.

The show of force came as Russia agreed to allow 100 international monitors entrance into Ukraine. The monitors, coordinated by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, will begin a six-month mission to deescalate the rapidly deteriorating situation. Their numbers could grow upward to 400 depending on the mission inside Ukraine.

The group says it will have monitors deployed within 24 hours.

Read more at CNN, Businessweek and The Washington Post

Reach editor Will Federman here. Follow him on Twitter.