SIMFEROPOL, Autonomous Republic of Crimea
Russia’s armed forces have surrounded Ukraine's troops in the Perevalnoye neighborhood in Ukraine's Autonomous Republic of Crimea, on Sunday.
Ukraine’s military units in Perevalnoye, some 20 km far from Crimea’s capital Simferopol, were encircled by more than 200 Russian soldiers.
Russia currently has 25 armored vehicles in the region.
Russia's troops have set up three large military tents and positioned around the Ukrainian military units.
Meanwhile, France announced that it has pulled out from the upcoming G8 summit in Sochi due to Russia’s ‘military escalation’ in Ukraine’s strategic Crimea peninsula.
Speaking to the France's Europe-1 radio, Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius called for negotiations to be organized with the least possible delay, either directly between Russia and Ukraine, or through a United Nations (UN) or Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) intermediary.
“France wants preparations for the Sochi G8 summit to be suspended until our Russian partners have returned to principles compatible with those of the G7 and G8," he said.
A G8 summit is currently due to be held in Sochi in June.
The White House and the UK also announced they would suspend their participation in G8 preparation meeting in Sochi.
Ukraine’s anti-government protests began in late November against former president Viktor Yanukovych's refusal to sign an EU trade deal in favor of closer economic ties with Russia.
The three-month unrest ended Yanukovych's presidency and led to the installment of an interim government, causing protests in Crimea, which refuses the new interim government's legitimacy.
englishnews@aa.com.tr
