Prime Minster Arseniy Yatsenyuk said the country was “on the brink of disaster”.
US President Barack Obama has called Russian troop deployments a “violation of Ukrainian sovereignty”.
Nato is conducting emergency talks on the crisis. Its secretary-general has said Russia’s actions “threatened peace and security in Europe”.
Several other measures were announced on Sunday by national security officials:
The armed forces would be put on “full combat readiness”.
Reserves to be mobilised and trained
Ukraine’s foreign minister will seek the help of US and UK leaders in guaranteeing its security
Emergency headquarters to be set up
Increased security at key sites, including nuclear plants.
Airspace closed to all non-civilian aircraft.
The media has seen what appear to be Russian troops digging trenches on the Crimean border.
Heavily armed groups continue to occupy key sites on the peninsula, including airports and communications hubs, although there has been no actual violence.
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Tensions are high in Crimea, with several stand-offs reported around Ukrainian military bases.
One Ukrainian base was surrounded by Russian troops in Perevalnoe, south of the regional capital Simferopol, with another base in Sevastopol being blockaded by a pro-Russian “self-defence unit”.
In the Crimean port city of Feodosia, a group of Ukrainian marines were also blockaded into their base.
Armed men surrounded the base demanding that the garrison pledge loyalty to the region’s new pro-Russian authorities.
Around 100 marines are thought to be inside the base.
Observers have been watching a build-up of Russian military activity in Crimea – home to Russia’s Black Sea Fleet – for the past few days.
Reports say two Russian anti-submarine warships have appeared off the coast of Crimea in violation of an agreement governing the presence of Russia’s Fleet in the peninsula.
Russian soldiers are widely reported to be guarding a number of administrative buildings and military bases in Crimea. Parliament, airports, the state television building and telecommunications hubs have also been surrounded.
Some 6,000 extra Russian troops and 30 additional armoured vehicles are now in Crimea, Ukrainian Defence Minister Ihor Tenyukh said on Saturday.
The newly-elected pro-Moscow leader of Crimea, Sergiy Aksyonov, said he had appealed to Mr Putin for help to ensure peace on the peninsula.
The interim government in Kiev does not recognise Mr Aksyonov and his government, and signed a decree on Saturday that their election at an emergency session of the regional parliament this week was illegal.
On Saturday, Mr Obama held a 90-minute telephone conversation with Russian leader Vladimir Putin and urged him to pull forces back to bases in Crimea.
BBC
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