Kiev : Ukrainian Parliament Speaker Alexandr Turchynov, who is also the acting head of the state, urged Russia Thursday to refrain from allowing its naval troops to venture beyond the base of the Russia’s Black Sea Fleet on the southern Crimean peninsula.
“Any movement of armed militaries outside the borders of their territory will be regarded as military aggression,” Xinhua quoted Turchynov as telling the parliament.
Turchynov’s remarks came after a squad of armed people seized the buildings of the Crimean government and parliament earlier in the day. Witnesses said that Russian flags were raised over both the buildings.
In April 2010, Ukraine renewed the lease of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet on its Crimean peninsula by 25 years in exchange for gas price discounts.