BILBEK, Crimea -- On the morning of March 4, a group of unarmed Ukrainian soldiers walked on the territory off Bibek military airfield in Sevastopol, which is controlled by the Russian troops.
The group, comprised of about 100 men,
carrying a Ukrainian flag and a red flag of their unit walked onto
the airfield about half a kilometer away from the runway.
They were surrounded by at least five
Russian military vehicles and at least 50 Russian troops who are
taking strategic positions around them, including on the ground. They
are armed with sniper rifles and machine guns, some of which are
constantly pointed at the group of the Ukrainian soldiers.
The two groups have peace time until noon, by which time the Russian troops expect the Ukrainian
troops to surround. The situation is extremely tense. A handful of
wives of the Ukrainian soldiers are waiting for developments outside
the airfield.
Andriy Parubiy, the new head of the National Security and Defense Council, in Kyiv described the situation as tense, but said that the Russian strategy has failed.
“None of the units switched sides in Crimea, and remained loyal to their oath to Ukraine,” Parubiy said. “Provocations in eastern and southern parts of Ukraine also did not succeed.”
Parubiy said the Ukrainian authorities are not using weapons. But Parubiy said that Ukraine can expect new attempts at takeovers of regional government administrations on March 5. “The plan for massive insurgence of the Russian troops, you can say it failed by today, although the situation remains tense,” he said.
He said that many Russian troops remain on the Ukrainian border “to create psychological pressure on Ukrainian border troops.” He said the Ukrainian army continues to mobilize all units and that the Defense Ministry is aple to arm and supply the soldiers.
He said that the March 3 hearing of the United Nations Security Council showed that the Russian strategy has “suffered a complete fiasco.” He said that not only Western nations, but representatives of ex-Soviet republics condemned the Russian aggression.
The Ukrainian authorities are able to fully supply the army units in Crimea.
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe is about to depart for Crimea, where it will inspect the Ukrainian military units. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is also visiting today..
Meanwhile, in Bilbek, Andriy Marchenko, an officer who was
one of the group of soldiers marching onto the airfield here,
said he has a pregnant wife and a three-year-old daughter. He is
scared.
Right after noon, when the Russian deadline
ran out, Marchenko spoke to his wife over the phone. She was
distraught and crying.
He says that soon the Ukranian troops
will form a bigger group, which will attempt to march towards the
Russian troops and will attempt to walk through a cordon that the
Russians formed between the Ukrainians and the runway.
He says what Russian President Vladimir
Putin is doing is “complete nonsense,” but he is fearful that the
Russian troops will take action nevertheless.
“They are ready for war,” Marchenko
said.
The Ukrainian authorities have said
that their tactic is peaceful resistance and negotiations, and so far
it has helped to prevent violence on the Crimean peninsula, which was
seized by Russian troops and armed local self-defense units on March
1.
Lieutenant Colonel Volodymyr Bondaruk
Lieutenant Colonel Volodymyr Bondaruk,
deputy head of Volyn regional commissioner on training, explains why
the Ukrainian soldiers are not shooting in Crimea.
“There was information coming through
the media center of the State Executive Service that Putin’s
conversation was intercepted with his commander in Crimea.
‘Why aren’t they shooting?’
‘They just aren’t.”
‘But how do you behave? Do you provoke
them?’
‘Yes, we provoke them’
‘Do you remain defiant?’
‘Yes, we are defiant, but they aren’t
shooting.’
‘Why aren’t they shooting?’
‘I don’t know why, but they don’t’
In other words, there is a provocation
going on to make sure there is a first (shot), and that it’s started
on the Ukrainian side. As soon as the first one starts, the big
unrest will start.
‘So, why aren’t they shooting? What do
they say?’
‘They simply openly tell us to buzz
off.’
So, this is evidence that there is a
provocation going on (on the Russian side).”
Editor’s Note: This article has been produced with support from the project www.mymedia.org.ua, financially supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, and implemented by a joint venture between NIRAS and BBC Media Action.The content in this article may not necessarily reflect the views of the Danish government, NIRAS and BBC Action Media.
Kyiv Post editor Christopher J. Miller can be reached at[email protected], or on Twitter at @ChristopherJM.
