04/03/2014 19:29
5,500 Ukrainian soldiers defect to serve an independent Crimea
More than 5,500 soldiers have defected from Ukraine’s military to serve the autonomous republic of Crimea, the region’s newly appointed leader said, according to RIA Novosti.
Sergei Aksyonov, named prime minister last week in a local parliamentary vote, said Tuesday that talks with unit commanders led to the defections of soldiers to join an independent Crimean military.
“Of the 34 Ukrainian military units stationed in Crimea, 23 have defected,” a local government representative told RIA Novosti on Tuesday.
Crimea, a majority ethnic Russian peninsula in southeastern Ukraine, was seized by Russian-aligned troops in recent days following the overthrow of the pro-Russian government in Kiev by the erstwhile, Western-leaning opposition.
The regional leadership has announced that it will consider a referendum to secede from Ukraine on March 30.