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Ukraine: Russian forces take over naval base

Russian soldiers have taken over a Ukrainian naval air base in Saki, western Crimea. Beforehand, ...
Newstalk
Newstalk

15.23 5 Mar 2014


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Ukraine: Russian forces take o...

Ukraine: Russian forces take over naval base

Newstalk
Newstalk

15.23 5 Mar 2014


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Russian soldiers have taken over a Ukrainian naval air base in Saki, western Crimea.

Beforehand, they allowed Ukrainian servicemen to remove four MI-8 helicopters and three planes and fly them to Mykolaiv in mainland Ukraine.

Russian forces also seized two Ukrainian missile defence battalions in the Crimea region, Russia's Interfax news agency quoted a military source as saying.

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The Black Sea peninsula is now under complete control by pro-Moscow forces although Russian President Vladimir Putin insists there are no Russian troops there.

In Perevalnoe, southern Crimea, Ukrainian troops remain blocked inside their barracks in the gravest stand-off between the West and Russia since the end of the Cold War.

Reporter Andrew Wilson, at the scene, said: "The stand-off remains as it has done for the past couple of days.

"But there are signs that people are getting used to each other - the Russian soldiers outside the barracks, the pro-Russian militia guarding in front of the gates, the Ukrainian soldiers within."

He said politicians from Kiev have been visiting the area to persuade residents to back Ukraine's new government, but "people are nervous about which way Crimea is going to go".

Elsewhere, around 2,000 pro-Russia protesters have retaken a government building in Donetsk, eastern Ukraine's major city.

Troops in UkraineThe use of Russian troops in Ukraine has sparked a political stalemate

They stormed the building on Monday and erected the Russian flag on the roof.

But Ukrainian police cleared the building on Wednesday following reports it was booby-trapped with explosives.

Correspondent Stuart Ramsay, in Donetsk, said several hundred well-armed riot police were guarding the building.

But after a few exchanges, they stepped aside to allow the protesters inside, he said.

Donetsk - which rejects Kiev's authority - was the political support base of Ukraine's ousted president, Viktor Yanukovych.

Ousted Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich takes part in a news conference in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-DonOusted president Viktor Yanukovych has strong support in Donetsk

The demonstrators had been demanding the severing of ties with Ukraine's new government and said control of the police and security forces should be handed to them.

Pro-Russian protests broke out in several eastern cities on Saturday as Russian President Vladimir Putin announced he had the right to move his military forces across the border.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told a news briefing in Madrid that Moscow has no authority over troops that have taken control of Crimea.

"If they are the self-defence forces created by the inhabitants of Crimea, we have no authority over them," he said. "They do not receive our orders."

In Paris, Ukraine's foreign minister said he did not want conflict with Russia as he prepared for talks on the crisis.

"We want to keep good dialogue, good relations with the Russian people," Andriy Deshchytsya said.

"We want to settle this conflict peacefully. We don't want to fight with Russia."

Mr Lavrov is due to meet US Secretary of State John Kerry as Western leaders threaten sanctions over Russian military movements around Ukraine.

Moscow does not recognise the government that took power in Ukraine after Moscow-backed president Viktor Yanukovych was ousted after three months of pro-European Union protests.

But UK Foreign Secretary William Hague insisted it is a "legitimate government" because Mr Yanukovych fled and the country had to find new leaders.

However, he said he was "not optimistic" that Mr Lavrov would sit down with Mr Deshchytsya.

It comes after footage emerged showing a tense exchange between Russian and Ukrainian soldiers at the Belbek airbase in Sevastopol.

Russia also test-fired an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile on Tuesday, although the White House later said it knew weeks in advance of the "routine" test.


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