KIEV, Ukraine - Ukraine International Airlines says it has cancelled flights to and from the regional capital of Crimea due to the closure of the airspace over the peninsula.
The announcement, which did not say who had closed the airspace, came after heavily armed uniformed men took up positions outside a military and a civilian airport in Crimea, a flashpoint in the tense relations between Ukraine and Russia, which has a naval base in Crimea.
The airline said it has cancelled flights to and from Simferopol airport on Friday evening and Saturday.
A woman answering Simferopol airport passenger help line said the airport was not closed but that all flights were cancelled "due to the situation in Crimea."
On Thursday, pro-Russian gunmen seized local government buildings in the semi-autonomous region.