Russia claims to control all 193 military bases in Crimea

Russian flags have been raised at all 193 military bases and offices in Crimea, said on March 26 Valery Gerasimov, the head of the Joint Staff of the Russian Armed Forces. All soldiers committed to the Ukrainian armed forces, which Gerasimov estimated at 1,500, have surrendered their weapons, are located beyond military bases and are preparing for an organized departure with their families and personal items to Ukraine. Such figures and information have been contested by Ukrainian news sources.

Only 34 percent of Crimean residents participated in the March 16 referendum declaring independence from Ukraine and entry into the Russian Federation, said on March 25 Mustafa Dzhemilev, a Ukrainian MP and leader of the Crimean Tatars. He said he has access to real statistics submitted to the Federal Security Service of Russia. The Crimean government reported on March 17 that 83 percent of residents participated, which was dismissed as a fraudulent figure by Ukrainian election-observing organizations.

Crimean refugees are being threatened with punishment upon their return to the peninsula, reported on March 25 Oldrich Andrysek, the representative for Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. They are afraid to give interviews and have their photos taken for fear of being exposed. They also reported their residences being marked, he said.

Zenon Zawada: The Crimean annexation sets a dangerous precedent for Russia, which has had its own set of extensive problems with separatists. It has already cost the Russian economy billions of dollars, and will incur billions more in costs. A military incursion into the Ukrainian mainland, which is still a possibility, would lead to a disaster not only for Ukraine, but Russia as well.