Thursday, March 20, 2014, 20:54
“The Ministry of Defense is evacuating the Ukrainian military from Crimea,” said Minister of the Cabinet of Ministers Ostap Semerak at a briefing, LIGABiznesInform reports.
He said that the Ministry of Defense and the National Security Council have already made a decision about the temporary location of the military. “They know where to go and understand … Answering this question, I’d like to not create a wave of excitement,” said Semerak.
Answering the question what will happen to civilian Ukrainians and Crimean Tatars who do not want to be evacuated from Crimea, he said, “We, and hopefully you, consider Crimea to be Ukrainian land. This means that the government declares and performs all obligations for our citizens, starting with the passports of Ukrainian citizens and ending with pension payments.”
“In many of these features and services, we are faced with serious problems, such as criminal elements that have captured the public authorities and territorial authorities of the central government in Crimea, which prevents us from paying pensions,” said Semerak. “They blocked and turned off the electronic system of payments from the Treasury. The government has found a way out of this situation, and we are performing this function,” he said.
According to Semerak, processing international passports for citizens of Ukraine in Crimea continues. “Passports were processed in Kyiv, and after a special operation these passports were given to those people in Crimea.”
Semerak added that the government is trying to find alternative ways to perform all of its responsibilities.
The original text is on Ukrainska Pravda athttp://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2014/03/20/7019714/
