SIMFEROPOL, February 27. /ITAR-TASS/. Representatives of the self-defence groups of the Crimea’s Russian-speaking population, who have taken control of the buildings of the autonomy’s Council of Ministers and legislature, have refused to conduct negotiations with the Chairman of the Council of Ministers Anatoliy Mogilev.
They explained they had “no powers to conduct talks,” the Crimean government said on its website.
Mogilev has left his telephone number for further contacts.
Security tightened in Simferopol
The Crimean parliament’s building in Simferopol is surrounded by police. Nearby streets and crossroads are also filled with security officers, journalists and media are not allowed there.
The number of policemen on duty is increased in Simferopol. Traffic policemen are also on duty at various sites of the city.
Simferopol residents were freely moving in uncordoned areas. There were no clashes or tension. Small groups of people were gathering near police-cordoned streets to tell latest news to each other. They were talking calmly, without crying or chanting slogans.
Sevastopol self-defence activists told an Itar-Tass correspondent that unknown persons without identification marks on their clothes got into the Crimean parliament building early in the morning on February 27.
Large groups of citizens have not yet moved from Sevastopol to Simferopol, according to public activists. As was earlier reported, ordinary citizens and public activists arrived by four buses from Sevastopol to Simferopol for a rally on Wednesday.
Self-defence groups guarding the building of the Crimean parliament said they would only let the parliament’s speaker and elected officials inside.