On Tuesday, gunmen opened fire on a Ukrainian base in Simferopol, Crimea and one Ukrainian soldier was reportedly killed after he was shot in the neck. Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said it was an act of war.
“The conflict is moving from a political one to a military one because of Russian soldiers,” he told a meeting at Ukraine’s defense ministry. “Today, Russian soldiers began shooting at Ukrainian servicemen and this is a war crime without any expiry under a statute of limitations.”
According to the Guardian‘s live blog on Ukraine, military spokesman Vladislav Seleznyov said they could not identify the gunmen because of no signs on their clothes and their faces were covered. Ed Flanagan from NBC News live tweeted the incident at the military base.
Shots fired as russian forces storm #Ukraine military base in #Simferopol. 3-4 short bursts of gunfire. UNCONFIRMED reports of men wounded
— Ed Flanagan (@edmundflanagan) March 18, 2014
Entrance to base. Earlier heavily armed soldiers seen running around front before shots fired pic.twitter.com/aG31fOJ8nI
— Ed Flanagan (@edmundflanagan) March 18, 2014
Police moved bystanders off road away from #Ukraine military base entrance.Small groups of Russian soldiers moving up pic.twitter.com/AZA6vNyOEo
— Ed Flanagan (@edmundflanagan) March 18, 2014
Silence since initial shots fired. Around 15 we believe russian soldiers carrying shotguns,close quarter riot shields and ak-47s stormed in
— Ed Flanagan (@edmundflanagan) March 18, 2014
Through our long lens again, the main gate a host of Armed men. pic.twitter.com/ysKTT4w5X9
— Ed Flanagan (@edmundflanagan) March 18, 2014
Ukrainian military spokesman also says all men on base arrested and their weapons taken and wounded captain taken to hospital for treatment.
— Ed Flanagan (@edmundflanagan) March 18, 2014
***UPDATE AT 12:21PM ET***
Due to the assault and murder at the military base, Ukrainian military personnel are now authorized to use their weapons.
In connection with the death of Ukrainian soldier lieutenant Kakurin S. the assault of the 13th Main Directorate of the photogrammetric center operational support to the Armed Forces of Ukraine (Simferopol) attackers, who were wearing military uniforms of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, to protect and preserve the life of Ukrainian soldiers , according to the decision of the Acting Supreme Commander Armed Forces of Ukraine and the Acting Minister of Defence of Ukraine, on the basis of the order of the Chief of General Staff – Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Ukraine military units of the Armed Forces stationed in Crimea, allowed the use of weapons.
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