NATIONALISTS STOPPED AT RUSSIAN FACILITY IN CRIMEA

SEVASTOPOL, August 24, 2005. Itar-Tass reports that militants of the Students Brotherhood nationalist organization tried to enter a Russian Black Sea Fleet facility in the Crimea on Wednesday but were stopped by guards. The Russian marines barred entry to the Sarych lighthouse to some 15 Ukrainian nationalists who tried to break through, shouting demands that Russia pass to Ukraine all the facilities it operates on the Crimean coast, an officer from the Black Sea Fleet headquarters told Itar-Tass. "It's not the first action by the Students Brotherhood. Russia' Black Sea Fleet is concerned over the continuing provocations against its facilities, and hopes that local authorities will be acting in a more precise and consistent manner to prevent them, the officer said. At present, Russia provides maintenance of all hydrographic facilities on the Crimean peninsula that ensure safe maritime navigation. Ukrainian courts ruled that all navigational facilities be handed over to the Ukrainian Navy. However this Navy is so poor that it is unable to sustain lighthouses and all infrastructures used to guide ships in the Black Sea. According to experts, the transfer would have disastrous effects to navigation. It is reason to believe that in case of the Ukrainian takeover the facilities would be looted and boarded up. This is exactly what had happened to all navy infrastructures inherited by the Ujraine from Russia in 1991.