17:55 24.03.2014

Kyiv negotiating terms for redeploying Ukrainian military from Crimea to mainland

1 min read

The Ukrainian Defense Ministry is preparing the conditions for the redeployment of Ukrainian servicemen from Crimea, Deputy Chief of the Main Command Center of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Major-General Oleksandr Rozmaznin has said.

Corridors will be created for the withdrawal of military units from Crimea, which will go through the town of Krasnoperekopsk on the Perekop Isthmus and the town of Chonhar in Kherson region. At the moment, the negotiations are underway on whether the servicemen will be let through with arms and military equipment, or without them.

"Even if there are no weapons, the people are what matters. And the weapons will be taken from arms depots," Rozmaznin said at a briefing in the Cabinet of Ministers on Monday.

However, he did not give a specific timeline for the redeployment.

"This will happen very soon," the official said.

Three Ukrainian naval ships remain in Donuzlav bay, and several military units still fly the Ukrainian flag.

When asked how many Ukrainian servicemen in Crimea switched to the side the Russian Armed Forces, Rozmaznin replied: "About fifty percent."

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