Pro-Russian forces seized Ukraine's naval headquarters in the Crimean port of Sevastopol, Wednesday, and raised Russian flags a day after Russia annexed Crimea.
Around 200 unarmed military men entered the naval base and raised Russian flags. No violence was reported. The forces made their way to the building where they replaced the flags on the masts, Russia's official ITAR-TASS news agency reported.
Russia's Black Sea Fleet Commander Alexander Vitko was at the naval base to negotiate with his Ukrainian counterpart, Rear Adm. Serhiy Haiduk, Interfax news agency reports. He left the base after sometime.
"They are everywhere here. They surround us. They threaten us," said Marina Kanalyuk, assistant to the commander of Ukraine's navy fleet. She added that she was sure that Russian security forces were involved, reports CNN.
Ihor Tenyukh, Ukraine's acting Defence Minister, said that the country's forces would not withdraw from Crimea. However, an hour later Ukrainian servicemen, unarmed and in civilian clothing, were seen walking out of the headquarters, reports Reuters.
"This morning they stormed the compound. They cut the gates open, but I heard no shooting," Oleksander Balanyuk, a captain in the navy, told Reuters. "This thing should have been solved politically. Now all I can do is stand here at the gate. There is nothing else I can do," he added.
Viktor Melnikov, in charge of the 'self-defence' unit, said talks were on to negotiate surrender. "We've had difficult negotiations with the command here," he told reporters. "Some Ukrainian servicemen are already leaving, without their uniforms, but there was no violence."
The capture of the naval base comes a day after the killing of a Ukrainian military soldier in the Crimean capital of Simferopol. He was attacked by a group of men wearing Russian uniforms.
Another death was reported later that day by the Crimea police who said a 'self-defense soldier' was shot and killed, and two others injured, reports The Moscow Times.
The deaths are first since the violence erupted in Crimea after Russian forces took control of the peninsular region over two weeks ago. As many as 97 percent of Crimeans voted to split from Ukraine and join Russia in Sunday's referendum.
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a bill approving annexation of Crimea.
