Former acting President Oleksandr Turchynov stated that in 2014, an order for armed resistance to the occupation of Crimea was issued, but he was not enforced because of the critical state of the army, mass betrayal of personnel and lack of support from international partners. The politician said this in response to the comment of the Navy Commander Alexei Shepapa.
“I signed the order for the use of weapons on March 18. But even after re -disposal, no serviceman opened fire, ”Turchynov said.
According to the politician, by the time of the invasion of the Russian Federation, the Ukrainian army was actually destroyed: out of 36 anti -aircraft complexes, only 10 were ammunition, and out of 111 airfields - 28 remained. Yanukovych, says Turchinov, systematically eliminated combat units in strategically important regions, in particular.
Turchynov noted that most of the personnel in the Crimea refused to obey orders and moved to the side of the enemy. In particular, out of 14 thousand military, the majority were local contractors and seizures. 90%were betrayed from the SBU in Crimea, 96%of the State Security Service, 99%from the police.
At the time of aggression, Turchynov says, Russian troops blocked the Crimea with the sea and from the air. Land ships, assault aviation and flotillas from all directions were thrown. At the same time, up to 200,000 military in the north and east of Ukraine.
"We had only a few erected battalions-tactical groups-up to 5,000 soldiers, poorly armed and non-prepared," Turchinov said.
The politician stressed that he advocated the introduction of martial law, but did not receive support in the NSDC. The leaders of the parliamentary majority refused for the fear of disrupting the election.
“Ukraine needed a legitimate power that the world recognized. It was a key argument against the introduction of martial law, ”he explained.
Turchynov also noted that Ukraine remained without the support of partners. Even within the framework of the Budapest Memorandum, no country provided Ukraine with either weapons or equipment. Moreover, supplies of bulletproof vests and even helmets were blocked.
“We were not given any nail. The embargo lasted until the end of 2017, ”he emphasized.
