Defense Minister: Russia should start preparing for withdrawal of BSF bases

Anatoly Hrytsenko considers that Russia should start preparing for withdrawal of its bases of Black Sea Fleet from the territory of Ukraine, planned for 2017, as he declared in response to comment on today’s session of subcommittee Ukraine-RF on temporal location of RF BSF in Ukraine.

In Hrytsenko’s opinion, period of stay of RF BSF on the territory of Crimea expires in 2017 year. Consequently, Hrytsenko said, Russia should start preparing corresponding plans on withdrawal, allocate means and build a base for its fleet (in Novorossiisk – ed.).

Defense Minister also noted that after 2017 year neither agreements, signed with Russia, nor Constitution of Ukraine and other legislative acts provide for stay of foreign troops in Crimea.