More on the Crimea blockade:
Russia planning 'second big military base' near Ukraine border:
Russia is reportedly planning a second major military base near the Ukrainian border.
Citing public documents, Reuters news agency reported on September 23 that the Defense Ministry intends to turn an old military depot in the town of Boguchar, 45 kilometers from the border with Ukraine, into a base.
The new base in Voronezh Oblast is to house dozens of buildings and special facilities for more than 5,000 troops and 1,300 armored vehicles.
The agency said the ministry planned to transfer a motorized rifle brigade to Boguchar along with troops trained in how to respond to nuclear, biological, and chemical attacks.
Early this month, Reuters reported that Moscow started building a major military base near the town of Valuiki, in Belgorod Oblast, close to the Ukrainian border. (Reuters)
No more trucks are left at the administrative border between mainland Ukraine and Crimea, wrote Kherson Oblast Deputy Police Chief Illya Kiva.
“Starting from September 24, the protest is moved 10 km inland. The police will continue to serve in order to protect the rule of law and civilians,” he wrote on Facebook.
Yesterday, 74 trucks still remained at the border. The blockade, initiated by Crimean Tatars, began on September 20.
Is this the real reason Russia is sending troops to Syria?
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said that the local elections Ukraine's separatists are planning to hold on October 18 and November 1 adhere to the Minsk agreement.
"Now they say that if elections take place in Donetsk and Luhansk on October 18 and November 1, it’ll be a violation of the Minsk agreements. First, the Minsk agreements don't have a date," he said.
Everywhere else in Ukraine -- aside from annexed Crimea and territories in Donbas currently occupied by separatists -- local elections will take place on October 25.
The Russian-backed head of Crimea, Sergei Aksyonov, has said that the blockade of the administrative border between mainland Ukraine and the peninsula has endorsed goods supply from Russia, the Crimean Desk of RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service reports.
"Today the Kerch ferry crossing works smoothly. In the last three days cargo transportation has increased 15 percent. The number of trucks has increased significantly and , I think, the growth will continue," he said.
Aksyonov said an increase in cargo transportation will only accelerate the expulsion of Ukrainian goods from shops in Crimea.
The blockade, initiated by Crimean Tatars, began on September 20. Activists believe that Ukrainian companies should cut their business ties because of Russia’s annexation of the peninsula.