What happened?
FSB of Russia on August 10, said that in the Crimea was able to prevent the attacks, which were prepared by the main intelligence Directorate of the defense Ministry of Ukraine. The corresponding message was published on the website of the Russian special services.
The FSB noted that the group of saboteurs was discovered in the city of Armyansk on the night of 6 to 7 August. According to “Russian newspaper”, the signal in the FSB received from local residents of Armyansk”. They noticed near the town of men in military uniform. At the signal, the arrived task force that “discovered about 20 people, which was loaded caches of explosives and weapons,” the newspaper writes. They were dressed in camouflage with embroidered Russian chevrons”. For General operatives opened fire on defeat. During the shooting killed a member of the FSB, said the Russian Ministry in its statement.
Sunday, August 7, in the morning it became known about the shooting on the border of Russia and Ukraine in the Crimea, near the checkpoint “Armyansk”, writes “Kommersant”. On the streets of Armyansk, Krasnoperekopsk, Dzhankoy appeared “armed Russian military and armored vehicles,” says the publication. According to the eyewitness , who was in the Russian-Ukrainian border in the night of 6 to 7 August, the border was closed for a few hours. Soldiers stopped a convoy of cars which followed from Ukraine to the Crimea. They did not explain the reason for the stop. On the night of August 7 near Armyansk tried with Ukraine to “break” a sabotage group of 15 people, the source said “Interfax” in the Russian law enforcement authorities.
In the afternoon of 7 August were also temporarily suspended the passage of people and vehicles from Ukraine on the territory of Crimea, said the state border service of Ukraine. Measures were taken by the decision of the Russian side “for unknown reasons”, said the Minister. The pass was stopped at three checkpoints: “Kalanchak”, “Chaplynka” and “Chongar”. The points soon re-opened. The next day the situation with the suspension of pass people again.
On the site of the clashes under Armenian, Russian security forces found 20 improvised explosive devices with total capacity of more than 40 kg of TNT, ammunition and special means of initiation”, and antipersonnel and magnetic mines, grenades, and special weapons, said the FSB. It is, as explained in FSB is in service with special units of the Ukrainian army. Later, the Agency published a video with the seized weapons and explosives.
The sharp aggravation of the Ukrainian crisis
President Putin said that after the incident in Crimea, the negotiations in the Normandy format are meaningless. According to the President, Ukraine has moved to a policy of terror and Russia will not leave unanswered the killing of security forces. Video: Channel
On the night of 8 August, as speak in FSB special units of the defense Ministry of Ukraine has taken two attempts of a breakthrough sabotage and terrorist groups, however, Russian security forces prevented them. Attempt to break, say the FSB, “was covered by massive attack from the neighboring States and armored vehicles of the Armed forces of Ukraine”. During the fighting commandos used “heavy equipment”, including infantry fighting vehicles, the source said “Interfax”. During the fighting killed a soldier of the Ministry of defense of Russia, said the FSB.
Eyewitnesses interviewed by “Kommersant”, stated that they heard gunfire on the night of August 8, at the checkpoint “Armyansk”. “The guards turned off the lights at the checkpoint and ordered the people waiting to cross the border, stay in the car. In the morning, border guard officer said that the checkpoint is closed”, — says the publication.
On the Peninsula “liquidated intelligence network” Ukrainian intelligence, report to the FSB. According to official Russian security services, one of the organizers of the sabotage is the intelligence officer of the Ministry of defence of Ukraine, the inhabitant of the Zaporozhye area Evgenie Panov was born in 1977. He gives confession, says the FSB. Was also detained citizens of Ukraine and Russia.
All were arrested seven people, the source said the Agency “RIA Novosti” in law enforcement. Among them were the focal points of the Crimea — the local Agency”, the source said.
According to official data of the FSB, during the liquidation and detention of saboteurs from the Russian side killed two people. One of them — the employee of FSB. The second serviceman of the Ministry of defense of Russia. According to the Kommersant’s source in law enforcement bodies, during the special operation ten Russian servicemen were wounded”. Official confirmation of this information. sent a formal request to the Ministry of defence. To comment about the casualties during the operation, the head of the press service of the southern military district Igor Gorbul refused.
Department of the FSB in the Crimea and Sevastopol on the fact of incident instituted criminal proceedings.
The goal saboteurs
According to the FSB, the purpose of the sabotage was “destabilization of the socio-political situation in the region during the period of preparation and conduct of elections of Federal and regional authorities”. The saboteurs had planned to make in the Crimea, attacks on “critical infrastructure and life support of the Peninsula”, said “Russian newspaper” in the Center of public relations of FSB. According to the newspaper, the saboteurs had planned “to undermine the route Simferopol-Yalta during the travel of tuples of the leadership of the Republic and Federal authorities.”
Russia’s Reaction
The President of Russia Vladimir Putin commented on the message about the FSB prevented the terrorist attacks at the press conference following the meeting with President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan in the Kremlin. Putin called attempts to carry out terrorist attacks in the Crimea “stupid and pointless” campaign. “The Russian side has losses, killed two soldiers. We are definitely past those things to pass will not. I would like to ask our American and European partners. I think is obvious to everyone that the Kiev authorities are not looking for a way to solve problems in the negotiations, and move to terror. This is a very disturbing thing,” Putin said following a press conference with President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan.
“At first glance, it would seem that this is a stupid and criminal act. Stupid because it is impossible to have a positive impact on people living in the Crimea, and the criminal, because people died. But I think the situation is more worrying because any other sense, except to distract their own people from the plight of the economy, from the plight of a significant number of citizens,” — said the President. After trying to make a diversion to meet in “Norman format” in the framework of the G20 summit “pointless,” Putin added.
Vladimir Putin: “Meet in the channel format is meaningless” Video: Channel
Trying to sabotage reacted and the head of the Crimea Sergey Aksenov. He expressed condolences to the families of the victims. “Any attempt to destabilize the socio-political situation in the Republic of Crimea, where they had not proceeded, and will continue to be suppressed harshly as possible”, — said Aksenov, reported, “RIA Novosti”. In his opinion, events 6,7 and 8 August confirm terrorist nature of the Kiev authorities” (quoted by “Interfax”). “Those who had plans to disrupt preparations for elections in the State Duma of Russia and the holiday season in Crimea was a miscalculation. The safety of residents and guests of the Peninsula are provided in full”, — added Aksenov.
Attack Ukrainian saboteurs — can be regarded “as a Declaration of war”, said the Vice-speaker of the State Council of Crimea Remzi Ilyasov. “In accordance with the UN resolution on the definition of aggression, all of this is an act of aggression, and considering that for this attempted sabotage attempt of state terrorism is the Ministry of defense of Ukraine, it can be regarded essentially as a Declaration of war,” he said.
In connection with the incidents in Crimea on the border with Ukraine, increasing border regime, said the FSB. Taken “additional security measures in places of mass stay of people, and also for the protection of critical infrastructure and life support systems”. In the Crimea, “a lot of police and special forces,” said the head of the Federal tourism Agency Oleg Safonov, conducting vacation in the Crimea. “In the resorts, everything is calm, everything is fine, no excesses no, people relax, well, the intelligence agencies operate,” he said.
Answer Of Ukraine
The representative of the Main intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian defense Ministry told Reuters that the information about plans to commit terrorist acts in the Crimea is “fake information”. “Ukraine does not capture and does not return with force to its territory and will not do,” said adviser head of the SBU Yuriy Tandit. Messages FSB is a “provocation,” added the press Secretary of the Ministry of defense of Ukraine Vyacheslav Seleznyov. “We immediately responded to these statements, informing the public that APUS are in certain areas, at certain strong points and perform tasks in a planned manner and any statements of this nature are provocative,” he said.
The statement of the President of Russia Vladimir Putin about the Ukraine’s transition to the practice of terror is an attempt of escalation of the situation. This opinion was expressed by the permanent representative of Ukraine to the Council of Europe Dmitry Kuleba. “Putin wants more war. Russia went to the aggravation and desperately looking for a pretext to launch a war against Ukraine that is testing the reaction of the West,” he wrote in his Twitter.
