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Anti-Russian sanctions

Acting defense minister of Ukrain confirmed Kiev would withdraw troops from Crimea

The entire set of measures is being held, everything will be all right, stressed Mikhail Koval

Mikhail Koval ITAR-TASS/Maksim Nikitin

Mikhail Koval

© ITAR-TASS/Maksim Nikitin

KIEV, March 25, 23:45 /ITAR-TASS/. Ukraine will withdraw its troops from Crimea, Mikhail Koval, whom the Ukrainian parliament today appointed acting defense minister to replace dismissed Igor Tenyukh, confirmed Tuesday.

“The entire set of measures is being held, everything will be all right. But I am not ready to tell you [the details],” Koval said.

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Tenyukh, now former acting Ukrainian defense minister, earlier reported that Ukraine reached an agreement with Russia to withdraw Ukrainian military units from the territory of Crimea, a former Ukrainian region that recently became part of Russia. Tenyukh said the withdrawal will be carried out jointly with armaments.

Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov also confirmed that Ukrainian servicemen may freely leave Crimea. “But with weapons or not will be up to the Defense Ministry to decide,” Peskov told journalists.

The Ukrainian Defense Ministry told Itar-Tass that first deputy chief of the Ukrainian armed forces General Staff, Gennady Vorobyov, held phone talks on Tuesday with Deputy Russian Defense Minister Army General Dmitry Bulgakov.

During the talks, Vorobyov and Bulgakov discussed “the procedure for Ukrainian servicemen and their family members to leave Crimea, as well as to withdraw armaments, military hardware and Ukrainian armed forces property”.

“Overall, up to 2,000 of our servicemen will have to be withdrawn from the peninsula,” a Ukrainian Defense Ministry spokesman said.

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“The Russian side notified us of its readiness to ensure unhindered withdrawal,” he added.

Earlier, Tenyukh said over 6,500 servicemen and their family members wished to be evacuated from Crimea. Overall, according to his data, there were some 18,800 Ukrainian servicemen in Crimea.

The Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol, a city with a special status on the Crimean Peninsula, where most residents are Russians, held a referendum on March 16, in which an overwhelming majority of their population decided to secede from Ukraine and join Russia.

Crimea subsequently signed a treaty on its accession to the Russian Federation as a constituent member on March 18. Russia’s upper house of parliament ratified it on March 21. Russian President Vladimir Putin signed relevant laws on the same day.

The developments came amid political turmoil in Ukraine, where a coup occurred in February following months of anti-government protests that often turned violent.

In the Soviet Union, Crimea used to be part of Russia until 1954, when Nikita Khrushchev, the first secretary of the USSR’s Communist Party, transferred it to Ukraine's jurisdiction. In 1991, with the collapse of the Soviet Union, Crimea became part of newly independent Ukraine.

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Sanctions vs. Russia

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The Russian leader expressed confidence that the the 12th International Meeting of High Representatives for Security Issues "will bolster cooperation for the mutual benefit of our countries and peoples"

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According to Yonhap news agency, the trip may be related to the two countries’ plans to boost military ties

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Vasily Nebenzya underscored that Russia continues to "make an important contribution to strengthening of African countries’ potential, including UN Security Council and General Assembly"

Canada allows Airbus to use Russian titanium despite sanctions — Reuters

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Israel retaliates missile launches from Gaza Strip — IDF

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The court said that Timur Ivanov is accused of receiving a bribe as part of an organized group while performing contracted and subcontracted work for the Defense Ministry

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According to Vladimir Rogov, the Ukrainian troops are holding drills to cross the Dnieper from the right bank to the left bank and capture a large industrial site

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"If we see a serious threat to us, we will have to take serious measures," the Azerbaijani President warned

US arms supplies unable to change situation in Kiev's favor — Kremlin

Dmitry Peskov pointed out that a year ago the opponents "were telling everyone that they were waiting for the moment Russia would be defeated on the battlefield"

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According to the journalist, the decision to conduct the operation was made by US President Joe Biden personally, following nine months of discussions with White House national security advisers

Ukrainian army strikes own surrendering soldiers — POW

Andrey Babenko said that after a crash course in Britain he had been sent to the frontline near Liman

US using human rights topics to shake political situation in Russia — embassy

"Attacks against Russia mainly focused on challenging the legality of the special military operation in Ukraine", the Russian embassy said

Press review: NATO flexes muscles near Russian border and South China Sea runs hot

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Oksana Markarova explained that $4 billion worth of weapons that was to be provided under the previous decisions still remained undersupplied

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US 'not forgetting' to help itself with aid to Ukraine — Kremlin

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Armenia’s decision on CSTO membership its sovereign choice — secretary general

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Ukraine exhausted, needs constant money flow from outside — defense official

Apty Alaudinov added that if the Ukrainian army received long-range weapons, it might try to attack Russia's civilian infrastructure due to its powerlessness on the front

Modern weapons make up 82% in Russian air defense troops — Shoigu

"The Kiev regime has failed to achieve the goals of its counteroffensive prepared by NATO instructors," the defense minister said

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Foreign Ministry Spokesman Wang Wenbin reiterated that China "is not an instigator or a party to the Ukrainian crisis and has never fanned the flames of the conflict, not to mention, used the situation for its own purposes"

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Global community changing tune about how Ukraine conflict started — security official

According to Nikolay Patrushev, these countries "understand perfectly well who is financing" the Kiev regime

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Russia’s victory in Ukraine to change course of history in Europe — von der Leyen

Ukraine "is carrying a heavy burden" for the benefit of the EU, and therefore EU member states must "provide Ukraine with means to defend themselves," European Commission president said

Gagauzian leader on unity of Moldova’s opposition, ability to watch Russian TV channels

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