SIMFEROPOL, Ukraine
The uneasy standoff between Ukrainian soldiers and armed pro-Russian groups surrounding the Perevalne military base in Crimea continued on Thursday following the region's increasing annexation by Russia.
The Ukrainian garrison has been under virtual Russian control since early March when pro-Russian groups, wearing no official insignia, besieged the base.
An armed man, who identified himself as a member of a 'self-defense' group called the 'Crimea People's Army,' told an AA correspondent on Thursday that Russia offered the Ukrainian soldiers in the base three options.
"They can choose either to remain in the base and serve Russia, to safely return to Ukraine with their families, or to resign and leave their garrison," he said.
On the other side, a Ukrainian soldier told our correspondent that some of the troops in the garrison wanted to choose the first option.
"I know the soldiers who want to go to Ukraine said that they would be allocated vehicles to safely return," he said.
The soldiers’ families, who reside in nearby quarters, were reluctant to speak.
Unidentified gunmen, in uniforms with no insignia, occupied the parliament and state council buildings of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea following the removal of former pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych from office on February 22.
His removal followed months of protests which erupted after he rejected an association agreement with the European Union in November 2013 in favor of closer ties with Russia.
In Crimea, the majority ethnic-Russian population declared independence from Ukraine and opted to join the Russian Federation following a controversial referendum on Sunday.
englishnews@aa.com.tr
