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Ukraine Pulls Back Forces as Russia Tightens Grip on Crimea Ukraine, Withdrawing Forces, Appears to Cut Power Supply in Crimea
(about 9 hours later)
SIMFEROPOL, Crimea — The acting president of Ukraine, Oleksandr V. Turchynov, formally ordered the withdrawal of the remaining Ukrainian military forces in Crimea on Monday, ending an increasingly futile effort by some troops to hold on to their bases after Russia’s occupation and annexation of the territory. SIMFEROPOL, Crimea — A power failure plunged much of the Crimean capital, Simferopol, into darkness on Monday, the second partial blackout in two days, as the Ukrainian government in Kiev appeared to retaliate against Russia’s occupation and annexation of the peninsula by sharply cutting electricity supplied from the mainland.
The Ukrainian military has been virtually powerless in the face of the invasion late last month by Russian special forces and other units. In recent days, there has been a steady capitulation as Russian units seized base after base, in some cases using armored vehicles to smash through gates and firing weapons in the air. Homes and businesses went dark across a large swath of the city, underscoring the vulnerability of the geographically isolated peninsula, which is dependent on mainland Ukraine for many vital services, including electricity and much of its water supply.
The announcement by Mr. Turchynov, who is both acting president and the speaker of the Ukrainian Parliament, came after a weekend in which the Russian forces stormed two of the last major installations in Crimea still under Ukrainian control — a base in Belbek adjacent to the Sevastopol airport on Saturday and a naval base in Feodosia, on the peninsula’s eastern coast, early on Monday. Officials here and in Moscow had anticipated such a move by the Ukrainian government. In recent days, regional officials said they had acquired 900 generators to provide electricity to vital buildings, including hospitals. It was not immediately clear if those generators were in use.
In Moscow, Prime Minister Dmitri A. Medvedev said at a government meeting that Russian ministries should begin work in Crimea as soon as possible. President Vladimir V. Putin has ordered officials to quickly begin work on a bridge to connect mainland Russia and the Crimean port city of Kerch, but the project will take years and cost between $3 billion and $5 billion.
Mr. Medvedev said that in the meantime the issues of power and water supplies “should be settled through international negotiations,” according to the Interfax news service.
The blackout came as the acting president of Ukraine, Oleksandr V. Turchynov, formally ordered the withdrawal of the remaining Ukrainian military forces in Crimea, ending an increasingly futile effort by some troops to hold on to their bases after Russia’s annexation of the territory.
The Ukrainian military has been virtually powerless in the face of the incursion late last month by Russian special forces and other units. In recent days, there had been a steady capitulation as Russian units seized base after base, in some cases firing in the air and using armored vehicles to smash through gates.
The announcement by Mr. Turchynov, who is both acting president and the speaker of the Ukrainian Parliament, came after a weekend in which the Russian forces stormed two of the last major military sites in Crimea still under Ukrainian control — a base in Belbek adjacent to the Sevastopol airport on Saturday and a naval base in Feodosia, on the peninsula’s eastern coast, early on Monday.
Mr. Turchynov said the decision for withdrawal and evacuation of military personnel and their families had been made by Ukraine’s national security council.Mr. Turchynov said the decision for withdrawal and evacuation of military personnel and their families had been made by Ukraine’s national security council.
“The National Security and Defense Council has adopted decisions giving instructions to the Ministry of Defense to redeploy military units that are in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea,” Mr. Turchynov said, according to a statement from the security council. He added that the government would evacuate families who he said are facing “a real threat to life and health.”“The National Security and Defense Council has adopted decisions giving instructions to the Ministry of Defense to redeploy military units that are in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea,” Mr. Turchynov said, according to a statement from the security council. He added that the government would evacuate families who he said are facing “a real threat to life and health.”
He said the government had been instructed to find housing for the displaced troops and their families as well as for “all those who are currently forced to leave homes under pressure and aggression of the occupying troops of the Russian Army.”He said the government had been instructed to find housing for the displaced troops and their families as well as for “all those who are currently forced to leave homes under pressure and aggression of the occupying troops of the Russian Army.”
While some of the base seizures have been dramatic, with armored vehicles smashing through gates and walls, they have generally been carried out without injuries. In one case, at a technical and mapping installation near the Crimean capital of Simferopol, two men — a Ukrainian soldier and a member of a local pro-Russian self-defense militia — were shot and killed. While some of the base seizures have been dramatic, they have generally been carried out without casualties. In one case, at a technical and mapping installation near the Crimean capital of Simferopol, two men — a Ukrainian soldier and a member of a local pro-Russian self-defense militia — were shot and killed.
The circumstances of that incident remain murky, with the local authorities saying that the men were killed by a sniper who was a member of a right-wing nationalist group from western Ukraine.The circumstances of that incident remain murky, with the local authorities saying that the men were killed by a sniper who was a member of a right-wing nationalist group from western Ukraine.
Mr. Turchynov’s announcement of a formal withdrawal was certain to speed the inevitable consolidation of Russian control over the Crimean peninsula, which President Vladimir V. Putin said was being annexed to Russia in part to correct a historical mistake. The majority of the population here identify as ethnic Russians. Mr. Turchynov’s announcement of a formal withdrawal was certain to speed the inevitable consolidation of Russian control over the Crimean Peninsula, which Mr. t Putin said was being annexed in part to correct a historical mistake. The majority of the population here identify as ethnic Russians.
In 1954, Crimea was transferred from Russian control to the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, in what Mr. Putin has described as a historical glitch. In Moscow, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced that it was imposing sanctions against 13 Canadian officials, members of Parliament and other public figures, mirroring similar measures Canada imposed on Russia in response to its annexation of Crimea and threats against Ukraine.
The occupation, however, was also a direct Russian response to the ouster of President Viktor F. Yanukovych, Ukraine’s former pro-Russian leader, after more than three months of civil unrest in Kiev, the capital. The Foreign Ministry spokesman, Alexander Lukashevich, said the step, which includes barring entry to Russia, was taken in response to Canada’s “unacceptable moves which seriously damage bilateral relations.”
Street protests began after Mr. Yanukovych, under Russian pressure, rejected sweeping political and trade agreements with the European Union that he had been promising to sign for months. The protests intensified in response to police violence and other actions by the Yanukovych administration that sought to clamp down on free speech and political dissent. The targeted Canadians include Andrew Scheer, the speaker of the House of Commons, and several aides to Prime Minister Steven Harper, who has been vocal in demanding that Russia be expelled from the G-8 group of industrialized nations.
Mr. Yanukovych is now believed to be living in or near Rostov-on-Don, Russia, where he has held two news conferences and claimed to still be the legitimate president of Ukraine. While the Ukrainian Parliament did not formally impeach him, it voted to relieve him of power after he fled his residence in February. In an odd twist, the Foreign Ministry also protested an incident in Ukraine during which it said a group of Russians traveling by train from Moscow to Moldova had been robbed at gunpoint by armed assailants. The Foreign Ministry statement said uniformed men boarded the train at Vinnytsia, southwest of Kiev near the Moldovan border, and demanded identification from the passengers. Those with Russian passports were robbed and subjected to “political explanatory work,” said the short statement, without specifying how many passengers were held up. The Foreign Ministry criticized the incident as an example of the “anarchy” in Ukraine.
Russia has also massed troops along the eastern border of Ukraine, raising fears in the West that Mr. Putin will order a further military advance. So far, he has declared that there are no plans for such a move attack. Russia moved to regain control of Crimea after street protests in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev led to the ouster of President Viktor F. Yanukovych, Ukraine’s former pro-Russian leader. In what Mr. Putin has described as a historical glitch, Crimea was transferred from Russian control to the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1954.
Russia has massed troops along the eastern border of Ukraine, raising fears in the West that Mr. Putin will order a further military advance. So far, he has declared that there are no plans for such a move.
The Russian occupation and annexation of Crimea has led to the worst confrontation between the West and Russia since the end of the Cold War, with the United States imposing economic sanctions on Russian individuals, including some of Mr. Putin’s closest personal and political allies.The Russian occupation and annexation of Crimea has led to the worst confrontation between the West and Russia since the end of the Cold War, with the United States imposing economic sanctions on Russian individuals, including some of Mr. Putin’s closest personal and political allies.
It is unclear, however, if the sanctions can create enough pressure to reverse the Russian hold on Crimea, and Mr. Putin has given no indication that he intends to back off.It is unclear, however, if the sanctions can create enough pressure to reverse the Russian hold on Crimea, and Mr. Putin has given no indication that he intends to back off.