Avakov says two Crimean airports taken over by Russian army

“My assessment of what’s going on is
that it’s a military intervention and occupation in violation of all
international agreements and norms,” he said in his statement. “This is a direct
provocation of bloodshed on the territory of a sovereign state.”

The
takeover comes just a day after armed men took over the Crimean
legislature and a pro-Russian leader was installed. The Crimean
legislature called a referendum on May 25 on the status of the
peninsular, which has a complex ethnic composition, including a large
share of Russian-speaking population. The
referendum is set on the same date as the early presidential
election.

Avakov said that Sevastopol’s military
airport Bilbek at night was blocked off by the military units of the
Russian navy, which is based in Sevastopol. He said the airport is
surrounded by camouflaged military troops with no identification and
carrying guns. He said they do not hide their Russian affiliation.

Inside the airport there is a group of
Ukrainian soldiers and border guards, and Ukrainian police troops
have surrounded the outer perimeter of the airport. “There have
been no armed clashes so far,” he said.

The navy base is Sevastopol is key for
the Russian army. Under agreements signed between two countries in
2010, the Russian
military can continue to use Sevastopol until 2042, with an option of
extending the lease to 2047.

Some 70 kilometers away from the coast,
in Crimean capital Simferopol, another airport was taken over by a
group of about 100 plain-clothed men, who went inside the airport and
onto the runway.

“The interior troops and police
pushed these people first into the airport building, and then out of
the territory. No weapons were used,” Avakov said.

He said that after the armed men left,
a new group of camouflaged men arrived around 1:30 in the morning.
They carried automatic weapons and had no markings. Avakov said they
entered the building and stayed int he restaurant.

“They are not hiding their
affiliation with the army of the Russian Federation,” Avakov said.
“Told by the Ukrainian Interior Ministry workers that they are
military men and have no right to be there, they answer curtly that
they have no instructions to negotiate with you.”

Avakov said that so far there have been
no clashes, but tension is growing as Ukrainian police troops
continue to arrive.

“The law enforcement organs cannot
oppose the army,” Avakov concluded.

The Simferopol airport, which was
raided by a group of armed men early on Friday morning, is operating
as usual at the moment, an airport spokesman told Interfax-Ukraine.

These armed persons, dressed in
camouflage, remain on the premises of the airport.

Russian Defense Minister Anatoliy
Antonov said yesterday that the Russian army has honored the Black
Sea Agreement that regulates the basement of Russian troops in
Ukraine’s Crimea, and will continue to do so.

He said, however that he considered it
a priority to ensure security of the navy soldiers and their
families, and this is why security has been increased in places of
their resiedence.

“This (security) function is
performed by the anti-terrorist divisions of the Black Sea Fleet,”
the minister said in his statetement. “The measures applied do not
contradict the existing Russian-Ukrainian relations and in no way are
directed at intervention into internal affairs of Ukraine.”