Nightly news begins now. Good evening, as you saw there we have a storm approaching the u. S. West coast that is big enough to have an eye like a hurricane. And we will get to that story in just a moment, but we must begin instead tonight with the fear that the situation in ukraine is perhaps approaching civil war. Russian troops have been arriving by transport plane and by helicopter in the crimea region, many of them with their faces covered, wearing no insignia. If not an invasion it certainly appears to be a russian intervention in a neighboring country in a former part of the soviet union. Nbcs bill neely has been watching it happen all day. He is in the ukraine, bill, good evening. Reporter good evening, brian, there is a russian war memorial behind me, russias black sea fleet has been based here in the crimea for 250 years, but none of it explains what russia has been up to today. There is no question, the russian armor and men have been on the move today, and maybe on the move tonight. A form of intervention . Well, russia is admitting as much. It began in the dead of night, unknown gunmen surrounding the main airport in crimea. By day it was clear they were prorussian and against any repeat here of ukraines revolution. After the surprise on land came the shock in the air. Russian helicopters, some gun ships flying over crimeaand what ukraine said was a violation of its air space. Next, at sea, a russian war ship blocking the ukraine coast guard vessels from leaving port. The Russian Troops are on the move, these men blocking the main military airport where tonight hundreds more russians flew in. Ukraine says 2,000, russia says it is for security. But whose security and is that really all . Along ukraines borders, russia drilled its troops, tens of thousands of them. Russian jets flying near crimea, the message to ukraines new leaders, loud and clear. Ukraines old leader was in russia, viktor yanukovych, defiant, blaming the west for the revolution, provocative, saying russia cant be a bystander. The russian flag is outside here, barricades around it. Three out of four people in crimea feel russian, speak russian and resent the west. Theyre nothing but fascists, this man says, helped and trained by americans. The protests here are continuing into the night. There is no need for russia to stoke promoscow loyalty. This place is full of it. Passions were stoked when a businessman who backed the revolution dared to appear among them. The mob chased him yelling russia and putin until he was lucky enough to escape. Crimea, an historic flash point is once again tonight a volatile region. Well, the main airport here in crimea is closed tonight. And russian planes have been seen arriving. Echos of the invasion of georgia six years ago, echos, too, of the cold war, the east west rivalry inside and outside ukraine is deepening. Dicey situation, bill neely live for us outside of ukraine, thank you. Also a dicey situation watching all of this. At the white house, we mentioned the president spoke earlier today. Tonight our chief white house Political Correspondent chuck todd has more, what are the options there, chuck . Reporter well, theyre not saying a lot about the options yet, as you know after days of what apparently was failed behind the scenes diplomacy to convince the russians to back off, on this saberrattling, in cr ukraine, the president decided to go directly to Vladimir Putin that there will be consequences of the report that a russianled military coup will take place. Just days before the invitation to the Olympic Games it would invite the condemnation around the world. Indeed, the u. S. Will stand with the world that there will be costs for any military intervention in ukraine. Reporter of course what the costs will be were not defined by the president and that was on purpose. An aide told me that the United States and i