Russian defense minister urges Crimea to free Ukraine Navy commander from detention
MOSCOW. March 20 (Interfax) - Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has called on the Crimean authorities to release Ukrainian Navy Commander Serhiy Haiduk from detention, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a press release.
"The Defense Minister of the Russian Federation, General Sergei Shoigu, has asked the leadership of the Republic of Crimea to free Ukrainian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Serhiy Haiduk, who was detained today, and not to prevent his departure to the territory of Ukraine," the ministry said.
The Russian defense minister said that Haiduk was duty-bound to obey orders issued by his senior commanders and follow the military regulations of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, it said.
The Kryminform news agency reported with reference to the Sevastopol prosecutor's office on Wednesday that "Serhiy Haiduk has been detained temporarily by prosecution officials, as there are questions for him."
Haiduk is suspected of "circulating an order from Kyiv on using weapons against Ukrainian military units," it said.
Ukraine's acting president and Verkhovna Rada speaker, Oleksandr Turchynov, for his part, gave the Crimean authorities until 9:00 p.m. local time (11:00 p.m. Moscow time) on March 19 to release Haiduk from detention, otherwise threatening to take "adequate measures", including those of a "technical and a technological nature."