Events leading to Crimea joining RF

23 February 2014

07:00 The approval for the citizen's meeting in Naxhimova Square in City Center of Sevastopol had not been given by Militsiya. Without permission legally the public meeting could not take place. Militsiya did not deny permission, legally they could not, but they were delaying, demanding 'corrected documents', wanting more documents for the security arrangements for the meeting and trying to negotiate the payment for the security, which was Militsiya. These delaying tactics continued up to the moment the meeting was scheduled to start and documents granting permission were received as the speakers for the meeting were ascending the steps to the platform.

It is estimated that over 30,000 citizens attended that meeting. We did not. We did watch it live on CC TV not to far from the event. The square is awash with Krimea, Sevastopol, St. George, and for the first time in public Russia flags, the flag of Russia outnumbering all others combined.

The Kiev appointed city administrator, V. Yatsuba, was one of the first if not the first to speak. He spoke of cooperation between the citizens and the new government in Kiev and voiced the opinion that he was supportive of Sevastopol citizenry and would do his best to voice the concerns of the citizenry to the new government in Kiev.

Shortly after he spoke, A. Chalyi spoke. The meeting erupts with cheers for Mr. Chalyi and he is elected on the spot as the 'people's mayor of Sevastopol'. V. Yatsuba voices his support for the 'election'.

Off to the side of the stage, tables are set up and registrations are commenced for membership of Opolchensya, the people's defense organization. The tables are flooded with volunteers. I/we to this day do not know who gave the order for Opolchensya to be activated. We never asked.

I was told after the meeting that Kiev had already called and expressed dissatisfaction with the actions of the citizenry and their appointed head of Administration. V. Yatsuba was a Party of Regions member and appointed by Mr. Yanukovich.

24 February 2014

09:00 Kiev, Channel 5 News, live interview. D. Yarush, the leader of Right Sector, and O. Tyagnibok, a sitting deputat in Ukraine Rada and leader of Svoboda Party, were being interviewed. Mr. Yarush declared, heard live by my wife and I, 'I will bring my 2500 fighters down to Sevastopol and kill every Russian there and burn the city to the ground'. Mr. Tyagnibok stated 'I will bring my 3000 fighters to Krimu and put every Russian there to the knife.'. Both were upset about the meeting of 23 February in Sevastopol. (Please to not ask me for a link to this interview. I do not know if one exists and I/we never bothered to look for one. We heard it live. That was enough.)

The entire city and peninsula either heard the interview live or knew of it within an hour. The statements at this live interview were taken seriously.

A meeting and demonstration by Krim Tatari was planned in front of Krimea Rada Complex in Simferopol for that afternoon. The demonstration took place. The demonstration turned violent early. From the overhead camera one could clearly see Right Sector 10's being controlled by their commanders as an attempt was made to break in to the Rada Building. Right Sector operatives had arrived shortly after the demonstration started, equipped with plastic drink bottles filled with wet sand, iron rebar cut to length for clubs, at least one pistol and a few had on arm and leg armor.

A few local citizens had gathered at Rada Complex to prevent entry and were mixed in with local Militsiya. As the demonstration escalated in violence the crowd of Tatari and Right Sector operatives began to push the, for lack of a better term, defenders back to the main entrance doors. A call had been made for citizens to come to Rada and defend the complex. This call was answered and reinforcements began to arrive within 15 minutes, albeit not in large numbers.

The demonstrators managed to push the defenders back in to the entrance hall along with Militsiya. At the same time two 10's of Right Sector operatives went to a rear entrance of Rada Building and managed to break down the door. Militsiya guarding that door had simply stepped aside and allowed the operatives to break the door. On entry the two 10's of operatives were met by a just arrived group of local sportsmen who administered corporal chastisement to the Right Sector operatives, invited them to leave the small anteroom and barricaded the door opening with furniture. The sportsmen then held that position for the duration of the demonstration.

At the front, the Right Sector operatives had managed to gain entrance to the entry hall but were prevented from going further by the citizens. The operatives broke every window they could reach, destroyed furniture etc, and were then pushed back out the entrance doors. As they were pushed out the two 10's from the failed rear assault appeared and, after consultations with the commander, clearly seen on the overhead camera, they began to leave. By this time most of the Tatari had also left. In talking to some who were at the demonstration, they were appalled that their peaceful demonstration had turned to violence. The Right Sector commander and others were clearly heard stating they would be back to 'burn the building to the ground'.

Reliable sources have told me that 5 citizens, all defenders, died in the violence, one elderly man having a heart attack as he was assaulted, one middle aged man beaten to death, one middle aged woman found dead as the crowds receded, and two men stabbed to death. The two stabbing victims were removed by Right Sector operatives as they retreated and their bodies found in a local park a kilometer from Rada Complex the next morning. Twenty of the defenders needed hospital level treatment.

The Black Sea Fleet went on alert as did all Russian Federation Armed Forces stationed in Krimea and Sevastopol. Leaves were canceled and all service members were told to report for duty.

Ukraine armed forces also went on alert.

In Sevastopol, the City Rada acknowledge the wishes of the people and appoint A. Chalyi as administrative head of Sevastopol. V. Yatsuba cooperates with Mr. Chalyi and they set up a committee to administer the city.

O. Torchinov in Kiev sent every more strident demands to Sevastopol Rada and Mr. Yatsuba to return to the previous administration. This demands were ignored.

25 February

Shortly after 09:00 on orders of O. Torchinov, the new head of the coup d'etat installed government in Kiev, an attempt was made by Ukraine SBU to arrest A. Chalyi at Sevastopol City Administration Building. A group of SBU in their black uniforms, wearing body armor and armed with pistols, approached the front door of Administration but were denied entrance. At the same time a fast moving group of SBU approached the rear door of Administration Building. The elderly gentleman at that door shut the door, locked and bolted it and the door was then barricaded. The subbasement steel doors were also shut, bolted and barricaded. A crowd of citizens began to gather around Administration Building, expressing their displeasure of the event. The first Opolchensya appeared, wearing a white armband with 'Sevastopol Opolchensya' imprinted on the armband. Their St. George ribbons sported the same slogan. They were unarmed but did have the most dangerous weapon of today, a radio, all of them. After 15 minutes of negotiations Mr. Chalyi agreed to go to SBU Headquarters about half a kilometer south on the same street as Administration, Lenina, for consultations.

By the time Mr. Chalyi arrived at SBU HQ, not under arrest, a crowd was gathering in front of the building, mostly citizens but with a few Opolchensya. SBU guards were at the front and both sides of the building, with body armor, automats and clubs. This was not usual. As more citizens gathered in front of SBU the crowd began to get unruly although peaceful. More SBU guards exited the front door of SBU Building and joined their comrades. Shortly after this a small group of citizens with two Opolchensya had gone a block north of SBU, down the back alley and scaled the wall to the rear of the SBU compound, tossing padded quilts over the barbed wire at the top of the wall to ease the entrance. It was immediately communicated to the crowd in front of SBU that a Black Maria was in the lot sporting Kiev (AA prefix) civilian tags. This Black Maria was a dark blue VW van with blacked out windows and bars on the windows on the inside. The tires of the Black Maria and all the other vehicles in the lot were flattened in spite of the efforts of the lone guard to prevent the action. The tires of the four SBU vehicles parked on Lenina Street in front of SBU Building were likewise flattened.  

After the Black Maria incident the crowd became ominously quite. It was communicated to the Kapitan at SBU front door that SBU had 15 minutes to produce Mr. Chalyi, free to leave, or the citizens would enter the building and bring him out. At the same time the older ladies and gentlemen in the crowd were quietly pulled back from the front and younger men and women replaced them. SBU was slowly but not physically pressed back to the building walls. In the required 15 minutes Mr. Chalyi was allowed to leave SBU to the cheers of the crowd. He was taken back to City Administration where he immediately went back to work.

With this incident the power of SBU in Sevastopol and Krimu was destroyed. No more was there any fear of them as before. They were revealed as the armed and cowardly gang of thugs they were, working almost exclusively for the oligarchs in their machinations and the local mafias.  

This same day, in late afternoon, two cleaning women from Administration Building staff erupted from the main building entrance and started screaming (literally) they had heard some of the Sevastopol Rada deputats plotting to turn over the city to 'Ukraine forces'. Mr. Chalyi was not in the building at that time. Within minutes large crowds gathered in front of the building. By the time the deputats tried to leave at the end of the working day there were several thousand citizens gathered. As the deputats attempted to leave they were questioned by the citizens and asked about the vote to have taken place that afternoon deciding the course Sevastopol would take. Their reply was 'we will vote on that tomorrow'. They were summarily shoved back in to the building and urged to vote immediately. They did and voted for the people.

Krim Rada did not meet this day in Simferopol. Not enough deputats arrived to meet the standard for a Rada session.

Negotiations with Berkut were ongoing on this day as to their intentions. Sevastopol Berkut had received an order from Kiev to disband, disarm, remove their uniforms and return to Kiev for investigation of crimes committed during the coup d'etat process in Maidan Square.

Citizens all over Krimea began to register for service in Opolchensya. The figure told to me the following week was in excess of 11000 had registered in the three days 23-25 February.

So there was real people power, freedom revolution in Crimea. The despotic SBU which did not serve the people was neutered.

Of course, in the western media narrative black is white and white is black and the coup against a legitimately elected leader in
Kiev is "freedom and democracy" and "Crimea is Russian aggressive annexation".

In both instances the voice of the people is denied.

kvs wrote:So there was real people power, freedom revolution in Crimea.   The despotic SBU which did not serve the people was neutered.  

Of course, in the western media narrative black is white and white is black and the coup against a legitimately elected leader in
Kiev is "freedom and democracy" and "Crimea is Russian aggressive annexation".

In both instances the voice of the people is denied.  

People power absolutely. I stress, we are not a part of any of the power structure so I/we do not know all that was going on behind the scenes, our task was not connected to that end of the events. However, I/we are no fools, you can not hide true emotion of the people and we observed that often, that more than anything else. The statements emanating from Kiev after the coup at first caused fears in many, in short order that fear turned to determination that if Kiev wanted a fight they would get one. If Kiev had kept their collective mouths shut nothing would have happened down here, nothing at all. Instead they started with threats of death and destruction and the fight was on. Fortunately we escaped the fate of Novorossiya and for that we thank Him. It was a near thing, more near than many understand.

auslander wrote:

Fortunately we escaped the fate of Novorossiya and for that we thank Him. It was a near thing, more near than many understand.  

its an topic i discussed a lot with certain friends of mine. i still talk with guys in the millitary i got to know in the past years and things still come up. its no secret either about the NATO FAC'ers and other NATO special forces resided there on an base in Crimea. we didnt knew what base but the fact there was an NATO flight to Crimea's airport set off alarm bells with me and my friends. this was at the same time during the riots in Kiev that got more violent with the day. however my friends and me do not have much faith in NATO's true motives after getting lied to for the duration of our deployments to Afghanistan if you know what i mean.

the fact that NATO send guys to Crimea and nowhere else, it just had to be an serious strategic target they wanted to "assist" ukraine with keeping hold off. we all believed it was the naval harbour. it just had to be, it would cut russia off of the black sea and establish and "pro-nato" navy port in the black sea. personally we all tought it was downright insane to try to snatch Sevastopol's navy port from the Russian navy.

and one thing the U.S likes to use is "divide and conquer". they did it with various tribes in Afghanistan, they are currently doing it with Germany and Russia and they intended to do it with Crimea too. they will simply put populations against each other with manipulative games that does not benefit either of the people in conflict with eachother, but it will assist the U.S in keeping control.
and the U.S has proven to be an extremely sorry loser, if they cant have it. they will see it burned to the ground. Vietnam?, chemical weapons. Korea?, strategic nuclear bomb was on the table to nuke north Korea. cold war?, and this still excists. its an part of Operation Gladio. NATO's headquarters in Brussels got an file marked "american eyes only". if America will lose europe. it calls for detonation of all american warheads on EU soil. the U.S does not care one bit for other populations. its propably the biggest committer of warcrimes in history.



anyway, you see where im going with this. if the Crimean people did not rose up like they did and Putin did not responded like he did Crimea would be worse than Novorossiya's situation today. its an nightmare however you turn it for Ukraine, but personally im glad Crimea got spared that nightmare scenario.

Airbornewolf wrote: Anyway, you see where im going with this. if the Crimean people did not rose up like they did and Putin did not responded like he did Crimea would be worse than Novorossiya's situation today. its an nightmare however you turn it for Ukraine, but personally im glad Crimea got spared that nightmare scenario.

The base chosen for US Navy HQ in Sevastopol was located at the intersection of Simonka and Chelyuskinstiv on north side, about a klick and a half from our house. It is a good sized walled compound and dates to Czar time. Directly north west from the facility is a gentle slope going down to the best beach on north side if not all of Sevastopol. While this slope is packed now with dachi and small houses the plan was to flatten the entire almost square kilometer and construct America Suburbia there. Across Simonka Street from the facility is School # 12 (Might be wrong on the number but She Who Translates is asleep after a long night. She graduated from that school 30 years ago.) and this school was partially renovated 3 years ago by US Navy. More plans were afoot for that school. 50 or so meters southeast of the school on Simonka Street a Baptist Church was constructed. In that Church was a little nest of quite young Baptist missionaries, American all of them.

I have seen parts of the NATO plans for this city. You were quite correct to be alarmed at what was going on as Sevastopol was to be a large NATO navy base that would in effect bottle up the Black Sea Flot in Novorossysk. All of those plans went south when the citizens of Sevastopol and Krimu changed history.

I am not aware of any US service personnel in Sevastopol but that means nothing. There were always rumors even in Yuschenko's day of them being here and US Navy ships did pay port calls here, an average of once a year. The sailors on shore leave were not well thought of even 10 years ago.

auslander wrote:

The base chosen for US Navy HQ in Sevastopol was located at the intersection of Simonka and Chelyuskinstiv on north side, about a klick and a half from our house. It is a good sized walled compound and dates to Czar time. Directly north west from the facility is a gentle slope going down to the best beach on north side if not all of Sevastopol. While this slope is packed now with dachi and small houses the plan was to flatten the entire almost square kilometer and construct America Suburbia there. Across Simonka Street from the facility is School # 12 (Might be wrong on the number but She Who Translates is asleep after a long night. She graduated from that school 30 years ago.) and this school was partially renovated 3 years ago by US Navy. More plans were afoot for that school. 50 or so meters southeast of the school on Simonka Street a Baptist Church was constructed. In that Church was a little nest of quite young Baptist missionaries, American all of them.

I have seen parts of the NATO plans for this city. You were quite correct to be alarmed at what was going on as Sevastopol was to be a large NATO navy base that would in effect bottle up the Black Sea Flot in Novorossysk. All of those plans went south when the citizens of Sevastopol and Krimu changed history.

I am not aware of any US service personnel in Sevastopol but that means nothing. There were always rumors even in Yuschenko's day of them being here and US Navy ships did pay port calls here, an average of once a year. The sailors on shore leave were not well thought of even 10 years ago.

it just testify's of how full of themselves the U.S really is. im convinced they honestly think there will never be consequences to their actions. i personally was not really anti american prior to my experiences with the U.S foreign policy and Millitary in Afghanistan by the way. it was during and after those experiences i began "disliking" the U.S and its military.

NATO's plans are..or better currently where, for about 80% focused on the Crimea. the primary objective was to oust the russian navy from the black sea. by doing that it would open the door to "millitary co-operation" as events turned out the "positioned" eagis cruiser in Spain would have been the first to be-reassigned to Sevastopol's harbour. the fact that that ship sailed into spanish ports at the same time of the coup was a bit too much coincidence. everything in NATO nowadays needs freaking fours weeks to process so nobody following the events in Ukraine believed the U.S version of that "pre-planned deployment" story of NATO. that it was part of an long planned deployment was just bullshit. and what happened?, it DID approach Crimea shortly after the Russian millitary secured the Crimea. NATO got caught with its pants down. after witch the Crimean Garrison politely told the Cooke destroyer to get lost with an coastal defense Fire control lock on.

there where some secondary objectives me and my friends assumed. some airforces where preparing equipment for an "suprise exercise" during that time. but it just might have been for redeployment to Crimea's airfields as that "exercise" did not go trough after Crimea was under Russian control. Basically Crimea was to be loaded full of all kinds of NATO weapon systems ranging from counter ICBM's rendering Russia's nuclear launch capability diminished, because those Topol - M systems are driving the U.S freaking nuts as they cant track them and the idea was to hit the launched missiles when they are still in their first stages heading up. rapid airforce strike groups on Russia's border and an uncontested NATO fleet in the black sea. all under the guise of "russian agression". some sort of anti Russia NATO fortress. i know its absolute stupidity to think NATO could get away with that plan and ive been saying that ever since i suspected Crimea was NATO's real goal.

but NATO cant even see writing on the wall when its there, just as they did not anticipate the rejection of Eastern ukraine's population rejecting Kiev's coup. its amazing. or the U.S total incompetence to pick up an history book and read up on the hundreds of years of History Crimea has that even predates the U.S.A. how much blood was spilt there and its significance to Russia and the Local Crimean population. there was no man left in Sevastopol in the defense against the Nazi's in WW2, im still just slightly amazed that some generals at NATO's HQ tought this was an brilliant plan and that the local population in Crimea would just say: "sure, after hundreds of years of shedding our blood defending this place against everyone. go ahead and place weapons against our homeland!".
then again, they also had the Afghan population and the Iraqi's against them when bringing "democracy". so stupidity is just passed on the next U.S general in line it seems. you know its bad when an Afghan tribal leader refuses to talk or have U.S troops in his town and only will talk to either the Australians or the Dutch.

but as you pointed out with Crimea, all those plans went to hell when you guys took to the streets. and even better, snatched every single objective in Russia's favour against NATO and Ukraine. epic win!.

the reputation of U.S servicemen is never quite welcome in europe i found out. mostly what i hear is that "behave like occupiers instead of guests" or variations of the same thing. disrespecting local customs to downright disrespectful behavior like pissing against local monuments or harassing people.

Yeah but they still control all Ukraine but Crimea and some 15 countries in Eastern Europe and Greece and Taipei and South Korea and and .....

Hannibal Barca wrote:Yeah but they still control all Ukraine but Crimea and some 15 countries in Eastern Europe and Greece and Taipei and South Korea and and .....

Yes, but they're losing their grip...and that's OBVIOUS.
Which Ambassador did Tsipras visit first?
Yes -

Keep your head up neighbor! We're winning this.

Hannibal Barca wrote:Yeah but they still control all Ukraine but Crimea and some 15 countries in Eastern Europe and Greece and Taipei and South Korea and and .....

the U.S is overstretched, because they want to be everywhere they can not defend anywhere. you can really compare it to the dying days of the roman empire. in the near Future the U.S got to choose what to focus on. Europe or Asia. China is pressing on U.S influence in Asia and Russia in Europe.

the U.S cannot maintain "full spectrum dominance". its just impossible.

Airbornewolf wrote:

Hannibal Barca wrote:Yeah but they still control all Ukraine but Crimea and some 15 countries in Eastern Europe and Greece and Taipei and South Korea and and .....

the U.S is overstretched, because they want to be everywhere they can not defend anywhere. you can really compare it to the dying days of the roman empire. in the near Future the U.S got to choose what to focus on. Europe or Asia. China is pressing on U.S influence in Asia and Russia in Europe.

the U.S cannot maintain "full spectrum dominance". its just impossible.

Another Pentagon/NATO strategy for 'full spectrum dominance' is the 'Great Siberian War of 2030', which is also failing miserably, as well as the 'Straights of Malacca' bottleneck scenarios.

GarryB wrote:Sadly the quickest way for the US to neutralise the threat of Russian strategic nuclear weapons is just to be fair to Russia and treat it with respect... but that is not going to happen.

the enormous potential for cooperation... even just in space exploration...

America's brain is diseased with the same affliction that infested Napoleon's and Hitler's brain. There can only be one
master of the world and America is destined, manifestly, to be it.

26 February


Sevastopol Administration was being organized by A. Chaliy and others chosen by him to assist in the process. The Kiev appointed head of Sevastopol administration, in effect the mayor, was invited to help yet again as he had showed some reluctance to really assist the day before. I do not know if he did actually assist but I do know a number of administration department heads did assist Mr. Chaliy.

A Russian Army BTR leaves a lager on southside near 35th Battery Museum and drives through the city heading north. Turning off Lenina St. to the west it arrives and is stationed at Russian Military Headquarters in City Center, backed in at the side gate of the compound.

Kiev by this time was sending very clear messages that the entire process ongoing in Sevastopol and Krimea was illegal and in violation of law. It is my understanding that at least some of the threats were specific as to the repercussions of any further actions taken against the wishes of the coup d'etat installed government in Kiev.

Right Sector began to appear openly on the streets of Sevastopol and Simferopol in pairs or triplets, not armed but one could clearly recognize them and they made no secret of who they were although we personally did not see any of them wearing Ukraine insignia or carrying Ukraine flags.

Krimea Rada did meet this day but nothing was accomplished, although information from reliable sources say two distinct groups had formed in Krim Rada, one for Ukraine and one against the coup installed government in Kiev.

Just before dark on this day serpentine barricades began to appear at the Krimea/Ukraine borders, at the entrance to Belbek Aerodrome just north of Sevastopol and on the 5 roads leading in to Sevastopol. It is my understanding that the roads going in to Yalta were also blockaded but I did not personally see them. Opolchensya manned the barricades, almost all armed only with clubs although a very few weapons were with Opolchensya, these very few weapons being assigned to the Krimu/Ukraine border crossings. Check points were immediately set up at the border crossings using the old Soviet buildings. Checkpoints were also set up at all the other barricades and selected vehicles were stopped for document checks. Traffic in general was not impeeded beyond having to slow down to go through the serpentine. Construction of barricades continued until well after dawn on 27 February. Of note is well over half of the heavy equipment needed, cranes and heavy trucks to transport the concrete barricade structures, was provided by Tatari, generally but not always from Bachit Sarai. Tatari also supplied most of the actual concrete barricade structures.

I/we are aware of no attempt by Ukraine Militsiya (criminal police), DAI (traffic police) or Ukraine Armed Forces to interfere with the construction or operations of the barricades and/or check points. At the Yalta Ring check point DAI actively assisted the traffic control and document investigations of select vehicles.

On this day armed troops from Black Sea Flot in Sevastopol were dispatched to the Russian Navy Hospital in Yalta to secure the building and compound against a real threat to the facility. A transfer of troops between Russian Armed Forces facilities in Krimea and Sevastopol is legal and allowed under the various agreements with Ukraine.

27 February

At approximately 03:15 on this day a group of men left a civilian facility in Sevastopol in POV's. They arrived at Yalta Ring and turned north up the Inkerman Bypass. They turned east at Simferopol Ring on the H06 and were passed through the block post by Opolchensya. The progress past Bachti Sarai and to Simferopol was uneventful. At the Simferopol Border the group of vehicles was passed through the block post without delay.

Approximately a kilometer northeast of the block post a column of Ukraine Army trucks, led by a BTR and the trucks full of armed Ukrainian troops in full combat gear, was slowly driving north on the H06 which becomes Sebastopolskaya shortly after crossing the Simferopop city limits. Approximately a kilometer southwest of Krimea Rada Complex the column of Ukraine military stopped but did not totally block the street. The small group of vehicles proceeded to go around the Ukraine convoy as several officers and EM's jumped from the trucks. An officer attempted to stop the last vehicle, a white and aging Lada, in the group but the driver looked to his left as they passed a side street as if he did not see the officer. The next vehicle in line, not part of the group, was stopped.

At approximately 04:20 the small group of POV's arrived at Rada Complex and they immediately stormed and took control of the Krim Rada Complex in Simferopol. This operation was in direct response, according to reliable sources, of Right Sector preparing to follow through with their threat of 25 February to burn the complex, the destruction of the Rada Complex planned for this day, shortly after 08:00.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uNJ3HR64Eo

I know what foreign media said and say about this operation. Even the tag on this video is misleading. I advise you to look at their feet and at their equipment and how they handle their weapons. I/we personally know all these men and they were not serving RF military of any kind either then or now, although more than a few have been north to fight since the event. However, like many men of their age they were veterans, each and every one of them, and all were residents of Sevastopol.

After clearing the virtually unarmed Militsiya guards from Rada Complex, during which no one was injured in the least, the complex was barricaded. This barricading was greatly aided by the arrival at approximately 05:00 of several civilian Kamaz trucks loaded with what should be described as makeshift barricading materials and more ammunition. Shortly after this event more trucks arrived with a crane and the Rada Complex was barricaded properly with concrete barricades.

At approximately 05:00 the halted Ukraine Army convoy turned around and returned to their lager on the south area of Simferopol.

At approximately 06:00 a small delegation of Miltisya led by an officer of unknown rank appeared at the Rada Building entrance, now completely barricaded, and demanded entrance and to speak with the group of men. This request was refused and Militsiya was advised that any armed personnel, be they Militsiya, SBU, UAF or any others attempting to enter Rada grounds would be fired upon. Militsiya was advised to set up a cordon outside the concrete barricades and halt traffic on the surrounding streets for the safety of the civilians and Militsiya were told not to set foot on Krimea Rada Complex grounds under pain of being shot down.

On this day the commander of the Russian Black Sea Flot stated that his prekasse (order) was to safeguard the Flot, not Sevastopol, this after numerous inquiries by concerned citizens. All Russian facilities were as of this day closed and guarded by armed soldiers, Spetznaz and Marines.

On this day the first civilians appeared in front of Ukraine Armed Forces facilities and made it clear that no Ukraine Army, Navy, Air Force or Coast Guard forces would become involved in the situation in Krim and Sevastopol. None of the civilians were armed. The statements by the civilians were generally that the civilians working at the facilities would be allowed entrance and exit and unarmed military would be allowed in and out also. UAF preferred instead to go on lock down and on most bases armed UAF guards stood duty at the gates and walls. However, civilian employees of UAF were allowed to enter for work and leave at the end of the day.

In the late morning of this day Sevastopol Berkut declared their loyalty to Sevastopol, not Ukraine. This announcement was met with cheers by the civilians outside the Berkut lager who had been in essence guarding and protecting the Berkut lager. Berkut armed up and left their lager for the barricades, serving at both the Krimu/Ukraine border crossings, Belbek, and Yalta and Simferopol Rings. It is my understanding that Berkut also opened their armory and gave weapons to select members of Opolchensiya, those who were recently separated from the armed forces and could demonstrate a knowledge of the automat.

Information began to come in that groups of Opolchensya throughout the Krimea Peninsula began to visit Militsiya and DAI facilities, taking over their well stocked armories and disarming the two entities of everything but their service pistols. There was no resistance from either entity of law enforcement officers. It is my understanding that selected members of Opolchensiya were issued weapons and equipment but only those who were recently separated from either RFAF or UAF and demonstrated a competency with the weapons before issue.  

Opolchensya took control of security at Simferopol International Airport and refused entry to at least one Ukraine Rada deputat who arrived, if my memory serves it was Lyashko but I may be wrong as to exactly who it was.

Victory Day Sevastopol 09 May 2015

https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=6294&v=8Smc_vMcepA

The day was quite long and for us tiring, neither of us are spring chickens. We were up around 04:00, on the road for 35th Battery Museum by 05:30. Traffic at that time of day is minimal and the sun had just broken the horizon. We left Battery at 07:00 with parts of Red Army and fell in with a convoy of Spetznaz from the facility next to Battery until their speed told and we traveled in our convoy alone until the police escort picked us up a few kilcks from the parade form up area. The weather was perfect, clear and bright sun.

The restored period vehicles we use performed quite well. Our actual vehicle was a 1943 Ford produced Jeep with the three information tags still attached to the dash, delivered as part of the lend-lease effort in late 1943.

Parade form up was just north of the Velyka Morska St. and Lenina St. intersection. Parade route was north on Lenina to the viewing stands set up in Naxhimova Square, from the square following the main city center thoroughfare with changes to Naxhimova St. as it turns west at the square, then a south turn on to Velyka Morska St. to the parade end at the traffic circle of the Lenina and Morska intersection.

Parade was to commence at 10:00, ergo we had 2.5 hours of form up etc. By 08:00 the rest of the Red Army contingents had arrived and were put in line. At 09:00 the mechanized units of Russian Army arrived for parade and took their places ahead of Red Army. The ships of the Black Sea Fleet were of course already lined in harbor and were dressed.

When we arrived at the form up point the sidewalks were already clogged with citizens walking north towards Naxhimova Square and City Center. I counted them and at 07:30 the throngs heading north was 10 citizens a second on each side of Lenina. I was told Morska St. was even more heavy, plus every ferry in harbor was working continuously since 05:00. Lenina, Haxhimova and Morska streets were closed to all civilian traffic except buses at 07:00 and totally closed at 07:30.

Our 2.5 hours of time before parade commenced was spent being thonged with citizens looking at the vehicles and Red Army. My wife and I were so overwhelmed with people that she got not a single photo before the start of the parade. I don't know how many citizens we talked to with her translating but it was a never ending stream. I wore a Kapitan First Rank uniform, the real thing from the war. I was wearing my father's medals from the war, just his CIB and his Silver Star and Bronze Star. I did not wear the rest of them. Of all the people we spoke to in those 2.5 hours only one noticed the medals and CIB. He spoke quite good English and we conversed for some minutes.

The numbers of children and teenagers with Red Army and the citizens dressed in the proper period uniforms was quite large and amazing. Even toddlers had their uniforms and I saw two babes in arms fully kitted out.

Parade commenced at 10:00 to the second, starting with the moment of silence in respect to those who did not return from the war. Red Army was a considerable distance from the activities on Naxhimova Square but all the ceremonies on square were announced over the speaker system, the speakers going all the way up to our position. Actual movement of the troops in formation for the march and the vehicles commence at roughly 10:30, everything moving at a marching pace.

To say that we, Red Army, were overwhelmed by the cheers and accolades from the crowds during the parade is a vast understatement. As we approached Naxhimova Square and the viewing stands with officialdom on the stand and as a surprise well over 200 veterans of the war seated in a special section at the very front, the cheers from the crowds were deafening. As we drove past the veterans we saluted them and the crowds went basically crazy. Some of the veterans, bless their hearts, managed to stand and return the salute. The rest of the parade route was in essence the same, as our wheeled vehicles passed them the cheers and bombardments of flowers was nothing like we have ever seen. I don't know what was announced over the speaker system, the cheers and 'spacibos' drowned them out. These cheers continued for the entire parade route all the way to the top of Morska.

From there we drove directly back to Battery and the entire journey was cheered by groups of citizens along the roads and the cars going past us in the other direction flashed lights with the occupants waving and cheering us. The drive took about 40 minutes and we arrived at Battery to a huge crowd waiting our return. We spent another three hours talking to the citizens at Battery until the crowds finally began to taper off and we could put the vehicles away. After that there was a grand dinner and some dancing to period music. We left at 17:00 (I think) to return home. We were both exhausted but the entire parade and all the work before parade was well worth the effort.

Today's estimate of the crowds is 200,000 citizens with some going as high as 300,000, that estimate including the crowds on the actual parade route who stretched back as far as could be seen and the crowds on north side of harbor.