Ukrainian Defense Ministry: 4000 soldiers and 200 SBU staff left for Ukraine after the annexation of Crimea
After Russia’s annexation of Crimea, 3991 of the 13468 Ukrainian military personnel moved to mainland Ukraine. This was the Defense Ministry’s response to MP Dmitry Tymchuk’s question.
“We inform you that on 1 March 2014, 13468 military personnel served in the military units and institutions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine based in the territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, of them 4637 were officers and 8831 were privates, sergeants and petty officers. 3991 military personnel came to mainland Ukraine, of them 1649 were officers and 2342 were privates, sergeants and petty officers” the document states.
Of the 1619 Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) staff on the peninsula, 217 moved to mainland Ukraine after the Russian annexation, according to the SBU’s response to Tymchuk’s question.
The document indicates that on 1 March 2014, 1619 military personnel served in the subdivisions, organs and institutions of the SBU based in the territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol. After the Russian annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol, 217 military personnel arrived in mainland Ukraine, including 210 officers and 7 contract soldiers, sergeants and petty-officers.
The internationally recognized Ukrainian territory of Crimea was annexed by the Russian Federation in March of 2014 in the wake of the Ukrainian revolution. The Kremlin has faced international condemnation for its annexation of the Peninsula, leading many western countries to impose economic sanctions against Russia. In the United Nations, only Afghanistan, North Korea, Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Syria recognize Crimea as a legitimate federal subject of Russia.