2014 Simferopol incident

2014 Simferopol incident
Part of the Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation and the Ukraine Crisis
"Little green men", masked Russian soldiers in Simferopol
Date 18 March 2014 Location Simferopol, Crimea, Ukraine Result Ukrainian military base captured First deaths of the Ukraine Crisis Ukrainian military begins withdrawal from Crimean peninsula the next day
Belligerents
Ukrainian military	Russian special forces (claimed by Ukraine, Independently verified)[1][2] Crimean Republic Self-Defense Forces	Right Sector snipers (claimed by Russia, denied by Ukraine)[1][2][3]
Commanders and leaders
Colonel Andriy Andryushyn   (defected to Crimean Republic)[2]	Unknown
Strength
20, including civilians[4][5]	15+[4]	several
Casualties and losses
1 servicemen killed, 2 wounded, and 18 captured (later released)	1 Crimean SDF trooper killed, 3 wounded	1 captured (Russian claim)
Notes: Cause of deaths disputed[2][4]

On March 18, 2014,^[6] a Ukrainian soldier and a Crimean self-defense trooper were killed the first case of bloodshed during the Russian military intervention in Ukraine and the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation.

None of the accounts of this event could be verified independently.^[7] The Ukrainian and the Crimean authorities provided conflicting reports of the event.^[8][8][9][9] The two casualties had a joint funeral attended by both Crimean and Ukrainian authorities. The event continues to be under investigation by both the Crimean authorities and the Ukrainian military.^[10][11][12]

Ukrainian Version

Storming of Ukrainian Military Facility

On March 18, 2014, at 3 p.m, 15 masked gunmen attired in Russian uniforms without insignia stormed the 13th Photogrammatic Center of the Central Military-Topographic and Navigation Administration in Simferopol, Crimea.^[5][13][14]

Although it is unclear how the incident initially began, reports emerged of a pro-Russian self-defense member attempting to scale a wall into the base compound, and being told to get back by Ukrainian troops. The argument escalated into live gunfire being exchanged by both sides and the storming of the base itself. However, civilian testimonies indicated seeing self-defense troops preparing for a possible storming of the base prior to the confrontation.

A Ukrainian junior officer manning a watchtower, overseeing a vehicle pool at the base, was fatally injured in the neck during the shoot-out. A second Ukrainian servicemen was shot in the neck and evacuated by several ambulances. The ambulances were granted entrance to the scene by self-defense troops, who sealed of the base to journalists. This death marked the first military fatality in the Russian takeover of Crimea. In addition to the officer, an ethnic Russian defense member was reported killed per Crimean authorities, though it was unclear if he was killed by resisting Ukrainian troops or by accidental friendly fire (both were reported).

The storming began with the takeover of the park located within the base's compound and the Ukrainian command center. According to civilians and journalists at the scene, a total of 15 unmarked soldiers, armed with shotguns and AK-47s, participated in the assault, supported by two military vehicles bearing the Russian flag.^[15] A Ukrainian soldier on patrol at the park was beaten by self-defense soldiers with a pair of iron rods during the capture. The soldier's condition was reported as serious, according to military accounts.

Crimean self-defense militiamen stand guard with riot shields painted in the Crimean tricolor flag in Simferopol

Shooting continued until the Ukrainian military unit's commander, Colonel Andriy Andryushyn, was captured. He was taken hostage, along with several other soldiers, in order to gain entry into the base's nautical building, where the remaining Ukrainian personnel had barricaded themselves on the second floor, refusing to surrender. The Ukrainian commander was interrogated by Russian troops, and allegedly declared his defection to the people of Crimea afterwards.

Negotiations over the surrender of the nautical building, and the Ukrainian troops inside, continued until late Tuesday evening, when talks were met over their surrender. A total of eighteen Ukrainian soldiers were detained and placed under arrest by self-defense troops. The soldiers were placed in rows and had all identification marks, weapons, and money confiscated at the behest of Crimean police.^{[1][2][4][5][16][17][18]}

By 24 March, the remaining Ukrainian troops who had been captured during the altercation were freed, unharmed.

Government Reactions

Ukrainian interim prime minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk accused Russia of a war crime over the incident.^[19] "Today, Russian soldiers began shooting at Ukrainian servicemen and this is a war crime without any expiry under a statute of limitations.”^[20] Acting Ukrainian president Oleksandr Turchynov suggested that the Russian annexation of Crimea was moving from a political phase to a military phase, following the announcement of the death of a servicemen. He issued orders on the night of 18 March, allowing Ukrainian soldiers to use their weapons to defend themselves. The Ukrainian government released a statement declaring that the steps Russia was reminiscent to those taken by Nazi Germany and its annexations of territories before the start of World War 2.^[20]

The Treaty on Accession of the Republic of Crimea to Russia was signed on the same day by Vladimir Putin and the self-declared Crimean republic, formally joining the independent Republic of Crimea to the Russian Federation as two federal subjects - the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol.^[21]

International Reactions

British prime minister David Cameron said: "The steps taken by President Putin today to attempt to annexe Crimea to Russia are in flagrant breach of international law and send a chilling message across the continent of Europe. Russia will face more serious consequences and I will push European leaders to agree further EU measures."^[19][20]

Russian Version

Alleged Right Sector Sniper

Russian sources reported that the Russian and Ukrainian soldiers were both killed by the same sniper.^[5] On March 18, Russian media reported that Russian forces were warned of unidentified armed individuals, who were allegedly present in an unfinished building located across from a Ukrainian military installation. A Russian Cossack who was working in a Crimean brigade was then shot dead, and another wounded, while investigating the scene near the sniper's (or snipers') position in the building. According to Russian accounts, the shots that killed a Ukrainian officer and wounded another came from the same window.

Russian media, citing Crimean police, reported that authorities had detained a 17-year-old nationalist Right Sector marksman from Western Ukraine in connection to the killings.^[22] Later, however, Crimean prosecutors denied detaining any gunmen, according to Interfax.

"The information on the shooter's detention has not been confirmed. It is untrue. Unfortunately, no one has been detained yet," Natalia Boyarkina, press officer for the Crimean prosecutors, told Interfax-Ukraine on March 20.^[23]

Investigation by Crimean Prosecutor General

The Crimean Prosecutor General Natalia Poklonskaya investigated the incident.

Initial Statement of Crimean Prosecutor General

The day after the incident, Poklonskaya reported that pre-trial investigation services had determined the following:

Several unarmed officials of the Russian Defense Ministry came to the Ukrainian military base to discuss cartography issues. This meeting had been agreed upon by both the base's Commander and Kiev. While they were inside the base, Crimean self-defence forces were shot outside the base.

A series of shots were fired both at Ukrainian soldiers and members of Crimean self-defence forces. There were victims on both sides: a Cossack self-defense soldier was killed, and another was injured. One Ukrainian soldier from the military base was killed and another was injured.

At the time of Poklonskaya's initial statement, the exact position and number of shooters were unknown.

The scene was examined by six investigation groups, including criminologists, detectives from the Crimean Republic attorney office, detectives from the main department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and members of related departments. Poklonskaya stated that according to these experts, the incident was very similar to the snipers' attacks on Maidan Nezalezhnosti, Kiev's central square, from February 18 to 21, 2014. Their goal was allegedly to provoke conflict between soldiers of the Ukraine and the Crimean Republic.

Several expert examinations were completed, including forensic medical examinations. Ballistic examinations were continuing, along with witness interviews.^[3]

Casualties

Ukraine

• Ensign (Praporshchik) Serhiy Kokurin – fatality (shot in the heart while on patrol)^[4]
• Captain V. Fedun – wounded in the neck and arm^[4]
• Unidentified Ukrainian soldier – seriously injured in the head after blows from an iron bar^[4]

Crimean Self-Defense Forces

• Ruslan Kazakov (Russian volunteer, veteran of the Chechen wars, Don Cossack militia member from Volgograd) – fatality (sniper-fire)^{[24][25][26][27]}
• Alexander Yukalo (rank unknown) - shot in the thigh^[27]
• Several other unidentified members wounded

References