Poroshenko says he saw Russian military in Simferopol in 2014
He stated this on Wednesday during his questioning via a video link at the Obolonsky District Court of Kyiv, which is considering the case on high treason of former President Viktor Yanukovych, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.
"I personally saw soldiers in green uniforms. They were servicemen of the Russian Armed Forces, both from the Black Sea Fleet and from regular forces, which were transferred in those days, starting from February 20, to Ukrainian territory in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea through the respective airports and ports of Ukraine," Poroshenko said.
In addition, he said that according to employees of the Simferopol airport, he knew that there were airplanes with no identification signs that transferred Russian troops to Crimea.
He stressed that Russian troops had been transferred to Ukrainian territory without the consent of the Ukrainian state, without respective procedures, which, according to him, could be qualified as aggression and annexation of a sovereign and independent territory of Ukraine.
On June 29, 2017, the Obolonsky District Court ruled to hold a special court proceeding against Yanukovych.
According to the Prosecutor General's Office, Yanukovych is suspected of committing crimes provided for in Part 1, Article 111 (high treason), Part 5, Article 27, Part 3, Article 110 (aiding in intentional actions committed with the aim of changing the boundaries of the territory and the state border of Ukraine), Part 5, Article 27, Part 3, Article 437 (aiding in waging an aggressive war) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
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