Russian troops storm last Ukrainian ship

Russian forces have attacked the last naval vessel with the Ukrainian flag off the coast of the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea.

Ukrainian Defense Ministry spokesman Vladyslav Seleznyov said in a statement published on his Facebook that the Russian troops raided Cherkasy trawler on Tuesday one day after pro-Russian forces took control of another Ukrainian navy ship called Kostyantyn Olshanskiy in western Crimea’s Donuzlav Lake.

“The assault team is on board the Cherkasy. The crew has been barricaded inside the trawler. The assault is on,” Seleznyov wrote.

In an earlier post, the spokesman said the ship had been surrounded by several Mi-35 attack helicopters, two cutters, and a tugboat.

Reports say pro-Russian forces are now in full control of the region, with the Russian flag flying over all naval and military bases.

Crimea declared independence from Ukraine on March 17 and formally applied to become part of Russia, following a referendum a day earlier, in which 96.8 percent of participants voted in favor of the secession. The voter turnout in the referendum stood at 83.1 percent.

The move sparked angry reactions from the US and the European Union, both imposing “punitive measures,” including travel bans and assets freezes against a number of Russian officials and authorities in Crimea.