Kiev announces plans to withdraw Ukrainian troops from Crimea
On Wednesday, the day after Vladimir Putin announced that Russia would absorb Crimea and a Ukrainian soldier was shot dead by a sniper at a base in Simferopol, a Kiev official announced that Ukraine was making plans to withdraw its troops from the peninsula. Andriy Parubiy said Ukraine would seek UN support to turn Crimea into a demilitarised zone, though it is unlikely Russia will withdraw troops from a region it considers home turf.
The announcement came after a day when pro-Russian militia took control of the Ukrainian naval headquarters in Sevastopol.
At the very least the Ukrainian government is conceding the on the ground reality that their military position in Crimea is not one that can be practically defended against overwhelming odds. The larger question is does this constitute a de facto concession to the Russian takeover of the region. It is certainly most unlikely that the government would make any concession as to the legality of the situation. However, if this withdrawal is accomplished without further casualties, it lessens to possibility of immediate open war in Southern Ukraine.
There was supposed to be something of a truce in Crimea agree between Russia and the Ukrainian government on the status of forces in Crimea that extended to this Friday. Obviously that did not hold. An important question is just how much control does Russia have over the local irregulars. Were yesterday's incidents deliberate provocation or out of control rowdies?