Ukraine defence minister steps aside

As former comrades saluted them from outside a base overrun by Russian forces, Ukrainian marines in Crimea piled into buses Tuesday to head back to the mainland. It was a low-key exit from this eastern Black Sea port, now under Russian occupation.

Here’s a look at the day’s developments. Ukraine’s defence minister, Igor Tenyukh, stepped down after harsh criticism for authorities’ often-hesitant reaction to Russia’s annexation of Crimea. Lawmakers initially refused Tenyukh’s resignation, but later accepted it and replaced him with Col. Gen. Mykhailo Koval. Ukraine troops were given the stark choice of staying in Crimea and switching allegiance to Russia or leaving the peninsula to remain with Ukrainian defence forces. So far, 131 Ukrainian marines have left Crimea, the Defence Ministry said. Another 4,300 Ukrainian servicemen and 2,200 family members have asked to leave. That means about two-thirds of the 18,800 military personnel and relatives that were stationed on the Black Sea peninsula are taking their chances in Crimea.

At a summit on nuclear security in The Hague, Netherlands, U.S. President Barack Obama noted that one of the achievements of his first nuclear summit in 2010 “was Ukraine’s decision to remove all of its highly enriched uranium from its nuclear fuel sites.” “Had that not happened, those dangerous nuclear materials would still be there now. And the difficult situation we’re dealing with in Ukraine today would involve yet another level of concern,” Obama said. The Ukraine Defence Ministry said 11 of its servicemen have been abducted by Russian troops and remain unaccounted for, including Col. Yuliy Mamchur, a commander who earned wide acclaim in Ukraine for defying besieging pro-Russian forces until his base was stormed over the weekend. Officials in Moscow warned Kyiv it will have to pay more for Russian gas. President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said a gas discount that Russia had previously given Ukraine was linked to the Russian Black Sea fleet’s lease in Crimea and is no longer valid.