Ukrainian Navy Commander Released from Captivity

This morning, Rear Admiral Serhiy Hayduk, Commander of the Ukrainian Navy, has been released. The Commander was captured yesterday when the Ukraine’s Navy Headquarters in Crimea was stormed, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence said in a release.

The release was achieved by urgent actions taken by Olexander Turchynov, Acting President of Ukraine, and Ihor Tenyukh, Acting Minister of Defense of Ukraine, who held talks with Russia’s Minister of Defense Serhiy Shoygu.

As of 2.30 p.m. yesterday the location of Rear Admiral Serhiy Hayduk, Commander of Ukrainian Navy, was unknown.

After the Navy’s HQ was stormed, he was taken in unknown direction by unknown persons.

Yesterday morning, the Ukrainian Navy HQ was stormed by Crimean ‘self-defense’ and ‘Cossacks’, who urged the leaders of the Ukraine’s Navy to leave the HQ, the Ministry’s statement further stressed.

Accordingly, there were no victims and the representatives of the so called ‘self-defense’ left the HQ premises.

The Ukrainian servicemen are also defending positions at Perekopsk Strait in the area of administrative border with Crimea. They constantly face provocations from the Russian side but continue to defend their positions, the Ukrainian MoD added.

“We constantly face different provocations. There was attempt to capture our sniper, some move of BTR, but they failed,” one officer stressed.

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Press Release, March 20, 2014; Image: Ukrainian MoD