SEVASTOPOL, July 27 (RIA Novosti) - Russia decided not to resume the suspended transfer of military equipment, left in the Crimea to Kiev against the backdrop of ongoing fights in the east of Ukraine, the Russian Black Sea Fleet commander Admiral Alexander Vitko said on Sunday.
"This equipment is outdated, the Russian Army and Navy do not need civillians dying [amid ongoing clashes in Ukraine], and we have suspended the transfer of weaponry to prevent its use in the war against Ukraine's own people," Admiral Vitko told the press at a briefing, explaining the reasons for extending the suspension transferring to Ukraine the military equipment, left in Crimea after its reunification with Russia.
In early July, Moscow halted the transfer of military equipment, noting that this measure was taken due to the ongoing operation of the Ukrainian military against self-defense forces in eastern Ukraine, which resulted in fatalities among civilians, including children. The weapons, military hardware and assets, which belong to the Ukrainian military, were initially supposed to be transferred from the territory of the Republic of Crimea of the Russian Federation to official Kiev.
