This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/23/world/europe/ukraine.html
The article has changed 7 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Version 3 | Version 4 |
---|---|
Russian Forces Take Over One of the Last Ukrainian Bases in Crimea | |
(about 3 hours later) | |
BELBEK, Crimea — Russian forces pushed Saturday to complete their expulsion of the Ukrainian military from the disputed Crimean Peninsula, smashing through the gates of a base here with armored vehicles, firing weapons into the air and demanding that the cornered Ukrainian soldiers surrender. | BELBEK, Crimea — Russian forces pushed Saturday to complete their expulsion of the Ukrainian military from the disputed Crimean Peninsula, smashing through the gates of a base here with armored vehicles, firing weapons into the air and demanding that the cornered Ukrainian soldiers surrender. |
The military operation at the base — one of the Ukrainian military’s last strongholds on the peninsula — was larger and more dramatic than at other installations where Ukrainian forces have capitulated steadily in recent days as Russia declared its formal annexation of the region. By evening, Russian forces were fully in control, and most of the Ukrainian troops were dispatched to their barracks and homes to pack. | |
The takeover came as Russia appeared to try to assuage international worries that its incursion into Ukraine would expand beyond Crimea, by agreeing to the deployment of a team of international monitors to places in Ukraine outside the peninsula. The fears of further seizures of territory had risen Friday as Russian troops massed along the border with eastern Ukraine, and the United States had issued a stern warning against further incursions. | The takeover came as Russia appeared to try to assuage international worries that its incursion into Ukraine would expand beyond Crimea, by agreeing to the deployment of a team of international monitors to places in Ukraine outside the peninsula. The fears of further seizures of territory had risen Friday as Russian troops massed along the border with eastern Ukraine, and the United States had issued a stern warning against further incursions. |
The agreement to send monitors by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, however, pointedly excluded Crimea, drawing condemnation in the West. | |
A statement from Russia, a member of the organization, said that excluding Crimea “reflects the new political-legal realities” because it has “become part of Russia.” | |
Germany, however, moved swiftly to dispel the idea that a vote allowing the international mission to operate only outside the peninsula constituted recognition for Crimea’s annexation. “The O.S.C.E. is expressly not casting into doubt the territorial integrity of Ukraine,” Reuters quoted a government spokesperson as saying. | |
The military operations on Saturday seemed to add an exclamation mark to Russia’s stance, as its forces and loosely organized local militias sought to complete their ousting of Ukrainian military personnel. The Kremlin has invited Ukrainian service members to join the Russian military with no change in rank and potentially increased pay, but many have declined. | |
A spokesman for the Ukrainian military in Crimea said Russian troops had also taken a base on Saturday at Novofyodorovka, northwest of Simferopol, the regional capital. The rollback of Ukrainian forces began in earnest on Wednesday, after the Ukrainian Defense Ministry in Kiev said it had drawn up plans to evacuate its military personnel, effectively announcing a surrender and yielding to the reality of the Russian occupation that began late last month. | |
But Belbek was something of a holdout. | |
In interviews before the takeover Saturday, soldiers expressed frustration with the lack of help from the their government in Kiev. Some troops said they were defending the base as a matter of honor, having sworn to serve the people and government of Ukraine. | |
“I took an oath,” said one commander, adding that he felt no personal antipathy toward Russia or Russians. | |
The sense of abandonment here, however, was as palpable at other bases where soldiers and marines began to pack up their belongings last week, accepting that their cause was lost. “It’s not just a gap between us, it’s a gulf,” said Lyudmila, an officer at a base in Yevpatoriya, who declined to give her surname. “They don’t value our patriotism. They have done nothing to protect us, they only talk.” | |
As the crisis played out during the week, communication between the military here in Crimea and superiors in Kiev has appeared strained. The head spokesman for the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense in Crimea, Vladislav Seleznev, often had to inform his counterparts in the capital of developments on the ground through his personal Facebook page. | |
At Belbek on Saturday, tension and anticipation had risen throughout the afternoon after Russian forces issued an ultimatum, warning of an attack if the Ukrainians did not relinquish control. | |
After scattered verbal exchanges with the Russian soldiers gathered outside the base’s black iron fence, the Russian mobilization began at about 5 p.m. One armored vehicle smashed through the main gate, while a second broke through a cement wall a short distance away. | |
There were sporadic bursts of gunfire, and several loud bangs from smoke grenades. At least one Russian soldier fired a handgun into the air repeatedly, and at least one person was wounded, beaten by Russian special forces. But it was unclear if the man was a soldier or a journalist. | |
For a time, the Ukrainians were surrounded, but by early evening most had been sent to collect their belongings. | |
The announcement of an agreement on monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe seemed to lessen the likelihood of a Russian military advance in eastern Ukraine. The Kremlin has insisted that the troops massed along the border are engaged in training exercises. | The announcement of an agreement on monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe seemed to lessen the likelihood of a Russian military advance in eastern Ukraine. The Kremlin has insisted that the troops massed along the border are engaged in training exercises. |
Even if the training exercise is pretext, it seemed unlikely that Russia would agree to allow monitors in ahead of a broader invasion. | |
In a statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry said it hoped the monitors would helped settle the political unrest in Ukraine, which began when its former pro-Russian leader backed out of closer ties with the West. The protests that followed ultimately drove the leader, President Viktor F. Yanukovych, from power, precipitating Russia’s decision to take over Crimea. | In a statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry said it hoped the monitors would helped settle the political unrest in Ukraine, which began when its former pro-Russian leader backed out of closer ties with the West. The protests that followed ultimately drove the leader, President Viktor F. Yanukovych, from power, precipitating Russia’s decision to take over Crimea. |
Russia maintains that it was forced to intervene in Crimea to protect ethnic Russians, who form a majority in the territory that was part of Russia under the Soviet Union until 1954, when it became part of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. The Russian statement called on the observer mission to help eradicate “radical” elements in Ukraine. | |
The first civilian observers were expected to arrive by Saturday night and over Sunday, said Tatyana Baeva, a spokeswoman for the international group, via email. The full contingent, to be recruited from member states, will arrive in Ukraine over the next week, she said. | The first civilian observers were expected to arrive by Saturday night and over Sunday, said Tatyana Baeva, a spokeswoman for the international group, via email. The full contingent, to be recruited from member states, will arrive in Ukraine over the next week, she said. |
The agreement established the monitoring mission for six months, saying it could grow to 500 members if needed. . | |
In Crimea, the emotional whiplash of the sudden declared breakup of Ukraine was evident among soldiers and their families last week trying to decide whether to stay on the peninsula or cross what the Russians have now effectively declared to be a new national border. | |
“We’re making the decision ourselves,” said Col. Igor Mamchur, deputy commander of the marine garrison in Simferopol, where the Russian flag was flying last week alongside the Ukrainian one. “We’ve got apartments, we’ve got housing here, children that go to school.” | |
Colonel Mamchur said he had decided to remain in Crimea. “I had a choice between duty and family,” he said, “and I’ve chosen family.” | |
But for some, that choice was not yet apparent. | |
At the Nakhimov Naval Academy in Sevastopol, cadets were simply told last week that they now attend a Russian school. | |
But the transfer ceremony did not go as the Russians hoped. Some cadets defiantly sang the Ukrainian national anthem, prompting the bandmaster to order his musicians to play the Russian anthem to drown them out. |