Since Crimea's tensions soared three weeks ago, units of uniformed men without insignia have appeared, purportedly local residents defending their territory. Russian forces effectively took control of Crimea after Ukraine's pro-Russia President Viktor Yanukovych fled the country in the wake of months of protests and sporadic bloodshed. Crimeans overwhelmingly voted in a Sunday referendum to seek to join Russia, which it had been part of for centuries until Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev transferred it to Ukrainian jurisdiction in 1954. less