Ukrainian Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak has claimed expansion of the Russian military presence in Crimea and possible deployment of nuclear weapons on the peninsula.

"The Russian Federation has been bolstering its military contingent in Crimea. The contingent has approximately 24,000 servicemen already... It is highly probable that strategic nuclear weapon delivery vehicles may be deployed on the peninsula. In fact, Russia has been forming a powerful contingent in Crimea for guaranteeing control over the occupied territory and defending its interests as regards Ukraine and other states," Poltorak said at a meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Inter-Parliamentary Council in Kyiv on Monday.

Provided that the contingent continues to grow, Russia may practically double the number of its troops stationed in Crimea and increase the force to 43,000 men by 2017, the minister said.

Moscow has said once and again that it has the right to deploy troops and nuclear weapons in any region of the country, including Crimea.