ANKARA
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed into law a bill to terminate the Russian-Ukrainian Black Sea Fleet agreements, weeks after Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimea region.
"Legal relations of Russia leasing facilities on Ukrainian territory for the Russian Black Sea Fleet no longer apply," according to a statement from the Kremlin.
Russia unilaterally annexed Ukraine's Crimea peninsula after taking control of the region on February 26-27 when armed gunmen, believed to be Russian special forces, seized the regional parliament and capital Simferopol's airport.
In a controversial referendum held on March 16, Crimea voted to secede from Kiev in favor of unification with Moscow.
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed into law a bill that officially incorporated Crimea into the Russian Federation on March 21.
The draft federal law to terminate agreements was submitted to the state Duma and passed through Federal Council before being signed into law by the Russian president.
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