CRIMEA BOOS PUTIN HOME

MOSCOW, March 28 (Reuters) - Russia has retaliated against expanded sanctions imposed by Western governments over its annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region, state-run news agencies cited the Foreign Ministry as saying on Friday.

The United States and European Union have imposed two rounds of visa bans and asset freezes on Russian officials, lawmakers and other allies of President Vladimir Putin to punish Moscow for what Western states say is the illegal seizure of Crimea.

"Naturally, such actions cannot be left without a reaction," RIA quoted Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich as saying. "The Russian side has taken measures in response, which in many ways mirror (the Western sanctions)."

He did not give details and no list of Western officials affected by the new sanctions was immediately available.

Crimeans voted to secede from Ukraine and join Russia in a March 16 referendum dismissed as a sham by Western governments that say it violated Ukraine's constitution and was held only after Russian forces seized control of the Black Sea peninsula.

RUSSIAN WARNS U.S

Russia warned Britain and America yesterday that they would be in “grave violation of international law” if they carried out air strikes against the Syrian regime without the approval of the United Nations.

Amid growing concern at home and abroad about the legitimacy and wisdom of the UK participating in an

attack on the Assad regime without UN authorisation, the Government’s most senior law officer will be asked to justify the Britain’s participation in strikes at a meeting of the National Security Council tomorrow.

However, there were no signs of Downing Street backing off from its  intention to join America in the use of military force. A Downing Street  source said they still expected action within two weeks while a spokesman for the Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, said he was also fully behind a “proportionate” response to President Assad’s use of chemical weapons.
U.S Naval forces are repositioned in the Mediterranean, this leaves the option of an armed strike ready and waiting for the word from Washington. Obama met with advisors on Saturday to go over the feasible options following reports of the alleged chemical attack in Syria.
Russia suggests it was the Syrian rebels who may have carried out the attack, but assigning blame too soon would be a "tragic mistake.