Over the past three months, under the procedural leadership of the Kyiv-based prosecutor's office for the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, 16 members of the illegal armed group "Self-Defense of Crimea" were reported suspicion of signs of a crime under Article 260 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (creation of militarized or armed groups not legally provided).

"In general, the prosecutor's office for Crimea, together with the Main Department of the National Police in Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, identified more than 1,300 people who participated in the activities of this formation, of which 217 were reported suspicion of committing a criminal offense under Article 260 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine," the prosecutor's office said on its website on Tuesday.