As a response to the presence of Russian forces in Ukraine,
Rear Admiral Denys Berevzovsky was made appointed as the new head of the nation’s
navy. Earlier, Nato’s chief formally asked Russia to pull its troops out of
Ukraine to decrease tensions. The United States Secretary of State, John Kerry,
also warned Russia that Moscow may be kicked out of the G8 if it continues to
funnel Russian troops into the country (Germany however, contradicted this,
saying that the G8 is one of the few platforms in which other nations are able
to directly speak to Russia and may have regarded this warning as somewhat
hasty). This Sunday however, Berevzovsky has sworn allegiance to the Crimean
region stating, “I swear allegiance to the residents of the Autonomous Republic
of Crimea.” Furthermore, in front of mainly Russian TV channels, he pledged his
allegiance to the unrecognized pro-Russian leader in the region, Sergiy
Aksyonov, vowing that he would protect Crimean interests and “defend the lives
and freedom of the Crimea’s people”. As a result of his actions, Interim
Ukranian Defense Minister, Ihor Tenyukh, later condemned the rear admiral for
treason and has recently launched a case against him. Earlier in the day,
Ukranian naval officers were distraught to find their headquarters in
Sevastopol to be occupied by Russian troops and were thus unable to go to work.
Bridget Kendall, a diplomatic correspondent for BBC News expressed her
sentiments, saying “So in Ukraine, is that what Russia intends to do too? Take
Crimea and Russian speaking regions under its control, effectively dividing
Ukraine in half?”
The full article can be read HERE.
By: Lauren Marie De Guzman
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