Ukraine Mobilises Its Army as Kremlin Ups the Ante with Warning to America: 'We Can Reduce You to Radioactive Ash'

MAIL ONLINE: Ukraine has a national guard of 20,000 troops and another 20,000 reserves / Russia, meanwhile, has an army of 700,000 battle-ready frontline soldiers / Yesterday, Russian state news agency chief warns US to stay out of crisis / Dmitry Kiselyov tells TV viewers Russia could turn US to 'radioactive ash'

The Crimean crisis moved a step closer to all-out war today as Ukraine mobilised its armed forces and a firebrand Kremlin mouthpiece warned America to stay out of its business, declaring: 'We could turn you to radioactive ash.'

In a sign of rising tensions following yesterday's referendum that called for Crimea's annexation to Russia, the Ukrainian parliament approved the deployment of up to 20,000 soldiers and declared all Ukrainian state property on the territory to be nationalized.

Tens of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers are now on stand by, including another 20,000 battle-ready reservists, prepared to fight should their government fail to find a solution to the standoff with Russia over the future of the Black Sea peninsular. Read on and comment » | Matt Blake and Associated Press | Monday, March 17, 2014