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Crimean Leader Says Ukrainian Military Units Are Surrendering Crimean Leader Says Ukrainian Military Units Are Surrendering
(about 2 hours later)
SIMFEROPOL, Ukraine — The prime minister of Crimea, the autonomous Ukrainian republic seized by Russian military forces, claimed Tuesday that most Ukrainian military units on the Crimean peninsula had surrendered and had pledged allegiance to his pro-Russian government, and that local officials were working to speed up a referendum on independence. SIMFEROPOL, Ukraine — The prime minister of Crimea, the autonomous Ukrainian republic seized by Russian military forces, said Tuesday that most Ukrainian military units on the Crimean peninsula had surrendered and had pledged allegiance to his pro-Russian government, and that local officials were working to speed up a referendum on independence.
Speaking at a news conference on Tuesday morning, Prime Minister Sergei Aksyonov said that regional officials were in control of the security situation, even as armed standoffs continued between Russian forces and Ukrainian troops at several military installations, including a base near the airport of Belbek near Sevastopol. Speaking at a news conference on Tuesday morning, Prime Minister Sergei Aksyonov said that regional officials were in control of the security situation, even as standoffs continued between Russian forces and Ukrainian troops at several military installations, including a base near the airport of Belbek near Sevastopol.
“There is no safety threat to human life in Crimea,” Mr. Aksyonov said.“There is no safety threat to human life in Crimea,” Mr. Aksyonov said.
It was not possible to independently verify Mr. Aksyonov’s claims, and even he did not assert that all military units were now aligned with his administration. He did indicate, however, that he believed enough forces were loyal to him to eliminate the threat of an armed insurrection in Crimea. In Kiev, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry flatly denounced the assertion of defections. “This information is false,” the ministry said in a statement, adding: “All the Ukrainian military units, formations, and warships stay in their permanent locations. Ukraine’s military controls the territories of their military posts.”
Mr. Aksyunov, who heads a political party called Russian Unity, was installed at the head of the Crimean regional administration last Thursday after armed men seized the parliament building and raised the Russian flag overhead. It was not possible to independently verify Mr. Aksyonov’s claims, and even he did not assert that all military units were now aligned with his administration. Yet, the Defense Ministry’s blanket denial — “all of the servicemen serve the Ukrainian people and do not even consider the proposals to defect— seemed exaggerated.
He said that a referendum on independence from Ukraine, scheduled for March 30, would probably be held sooner, but he offered no details. He said that he had not been in contact with Viktor F. Yanukovych, the ousted president of Ukraine, who fled to Russia but has said he plans to return. Over the weekend, the Ukrainian navy’s chief of staff, Denis Borozovsky publicly announced his defection. Some security installations, such as outposts of the federal border police, that do not fall within the Defense Ministry, now appear to be under the control of the Crimean authorities.
Mr. Aksyonov said that Crimean armed forces were now in a position to ensure the security of the peninsula on their own, but that military officials were working with commanders of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, which is based in Sevastopol under a long-term lease. At the same time, Ukrainian armed forces continued to face-off against the pro-Russian soldiers who have surrounded or blocked military installations throughout Crimea. Mr. Aksyonov said that he believed enough forces were loyal to him to eliminate the threat of an armed insurrection.
“We are coordinating our activists with the Black Sea Fleet,” he said. “But as of today we are in a position to ensure our own security,” Anatoly Dekusarov, 47, who was among a crowd of Simferopol residents gathered in support of the Russian soldiers, said that he felt safer having the soldiers deployed. “I am standing for my independence,” Mr. Dekusarov said. “I am standing for our freedom.”
In recent days, soldiers wearing uniforms with no identifying insignia have taken up positions around military bases and other security installations across the peninsula, including outposts and headquarters of the federal border police and some government buildings. They are assisted by self-defense militia groups in plain clothes wearing armbands. Mr. Dekusarov said the new interim government in Kiev, led by acting Prime Minister Arseniy P. Yatsenyuk, was in cahoots with the United States, which he said wanted the Russian navy base in Sevastopol and other assets. “Kiev sold Ukraine to America,” Mr. Dekusarov said. “Yatsenyuk sold Crimea to Obama.”
Mr. Aksyunov, who heads a political party called Russian Unity, was installed as the head of the Crimean regional administration last Thursday after armed men seized the parliament building and raised the Russian flag overhead.
He said that a referendum on independence from Ukraine, scheduled for March 30, would probably be held sooner, but he offered no details. He also said that he had not been in contact with Viktor F. Yanukovych, the ousted president of Ukraine, who fled to Russia but has said he plans to return.
Throughout the day, a long caravan of cars drove through Simferopol, many with a slogan written on their rear windshields saying, “Against the Lying Mass Media.” Supporters who cheered the caravan said the message was aimed at the Ukrainian news media in Kiev reporting on pro-Russian “extremists” in Crimea, though international journalists are also regarded warily here.
While President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, making his first public statements on the developments in Crimea, denied the involvement of Russian troops here, many of the vehicles transporting soldiers on the peninsula have Russian military license plates. And on Tuesday, a soldier at the Simferopol airport acknowledged that he was Russian, though he declined to give his name or to identify his military unit.
In recent days, soldiers wearing uniforms with no identifying insignia have taken up positions around military bases and other security installations across the peninsula, including the offices of the border police and some government buildings. They are assisted by self-defense militia groups in plain clothes wearing armbands, and often carrying Russian flags.
On Tuesday morning, there were plainclothes security guards controlling access to the regional administration building, as well as a group gathered near the regional Parliament in the center of the city, including Cossacks in ethnic uniforms and some older men in green camouflage, along with volunteers cooking food.On Tuesday morning, there were plainclothes security guards controlling access to the regional administration building, as well as a group gathered near the regional Parliament in the center of the city, including Cossacks in ethnic uniforms and some older men in green camouflage, along with volunteers cooking food.
Unofficial vehicle checkpoints have also been established throughout Crimea, often with the red, blue and white Russian flag flying over the barricades, though their purpose was not clear. The people operating the checkpoints say they are providing security.Unofficial vehicle checkpoints have also been established throughout Crimea, often with the red, blue and white Russian flag flying over the barricades, though their purpose was not clear. The people operating the checkpoints say they are providing security.
At the base near the Belbek airport, several hundred Ukrainian and Russian forces were in a standoff that began overnight. At a base near the Belbek airport, several hundred Ukrainian and pro-Russian forces were in a standoff on Tuesday that had begun overnight. Although the Russian forces fired several warning shots, the dispute ended with no violence or injuries, and some of the Ukrainian soldiers were able to take up their normal positions, manning guard-posts at the airfield.
At about 9 a.m., after playing the Ukrainian national anthem, a column of unarmed soldiers set out from the Belbek garrison in Lubimovka, holding the flags of Ukraine and the Soviet Union. The men periodically sang as they marched, and as they passed half-hidden Russian troops screened behind rusting radar dishes, one man began to sing a Soviet partisan song. Meanwhile, at a port in Sevastopol’s North Bay, two Ukrainian naval vessels, the Slavutych and the Ternipol, were being blockaded by Russian ships.
The column of roughly 200 Ukrainian troops approached the Russian positions at the edge of the airbase, where a Russian Humvee and three men stood blocking the road. As they came within about 50 yards, one Russian began to fire into the air and others swiftly took up firing positions along one side of the Ukrainian column. Crimea is heavily pro-Russian, and has close cultural ties to Russia. It has enjoyed a large degree of autonomy since shortly after Ukraine gained its independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Most people in the peninsula identify themselves as ethnically Russian, with ethnic Ukrainians and Crimean Tatars the largest minority groups.
At the first shot, the Ukrainians flinched but then picked up the pace. At the second and third, the men, clutching their heads and ducking, began to run. One man, pulling himself up, yelled, “We are the masters here!’ ”
Another, brandishing the red Soviet flag, yelled, “This is the Soviet flag, are you going to shoot at the Soviet flag?”
The troops moved within three feet of the man firing directly over their heads before they pulled up. The Russians continued to shout that they would fire; the Ukrainians replied, “Go on, shoot!”
The commander of the base, Col. Yuli Mamchur, began negotiating with a Russian officer who said his name was Roman but who did not identify himself further.
After about 30 minutes of negotiations, a dozen Ukrainian troops were allowed to enter the base, marching through the cordon of Russians.
The rest of the Ukrainians remained outside with the Russian guns trained on them. Two truckloads of Russian troops later arrived and took up position in the nearby bushes.
The Ukrainians then waited for a response from the Russian command about whether they would be permitted to enter the base and start joint patrols with the Russians. The standoff came to a strange, if inconclusive, end, with the arrival of masked men in plain clothes and camouflage, identifying themselves as members of the Sevastopol self-defense movement. The masked men, some of whose arrival interrupted a soccer game among the Ukrainians, began negotiating with Colonel Mamchur.
Eventually, the Ukrainians turned around and returned to their garrison, leaving their officers behind to continue negotiating. Colonel Mamchur, who remained by the Russian line awaiting the arrival of officers from the Black Sea Fleet, said he had sent his troops away to avoid provocation by the self-defense volunteers.
At a port in Sevastopol’s North Bay, two Ukrainian naval vessels, the Slavutych and the Ternipol, were being blockaded by Russian ships.
Under the terms of Russia’s lease for the headquarters of the Black Sea Fleet, the location and movement of military personnel and equipment is restricted to designated areas. In recent days, however, troop carriers, Humvees and other military equipment with license plates designating them as part of the Black Sea Fleet have appeared throughout the peninsula.
Since Russian soldiers began deploying late last week, beginning at the two main airports, local officials have sought to convey a sense of threat against Crimea from the provisional government in Kiev. They have denounced the toppling of Mr. Yanukovych as a coup and expressed fears of “fascist” right-wing groups that support the uprising in Kiev.
The anti-Yanukovych protests were supported by a number of nationalist groups popular in western Ukraine, including the Svoboda Party, which controls about three dozen seats in the Parliament, and other, more militant right-wing groups known for anti-Russian rhetoric.
Mr. Aksyonov appealed to President Vladimir V. Putin for help in assuring the security of Crimea, and Mr. Putin promptly received authorization from the Russian Parliament to use military force.
Crimea, which has enjoyed a large degree of autonomy since shortly after Ukraine gained its independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union, is heavily pro-Russia, and feels close cultural ties to Russia. Most people in the peninsula identify themselves as ethnically Russian, with ethnic Ukrainians and Crimean Tatars the largest minority groups.
Mr. Aksyonov, at his news conference, said the threat from the new government and its supporters in Kiev was real. “Only the blind do not see that we were threatened during the three months of conflict in Maidan,” he said, referring to Independence Square, the main protest site in Kiev. “Russians were regularly threatened with physical harm.”Mr. Aksyonov, at his news conference, said the threat from the new government and its supporters in Kiev was real. “Only the blind do not see that we were threatened during the three months of conflict in Maidan,” he said, referring to Independence Square, the main protest site in Kiev. “Russians were regularly threatened with physical harm.”