Simferopol incident

On March 18, 2014, two people were shot and at least a further two people injured. The Ukrainian authorities immediately responded to the incident with their version of events that the base was stormed and this was picked up and broadcast internationally. After the incident Ukraine's government authorized its troops to fire in self-defense.

At the time of the incident none of the accounts of this event could be verified independently. The Ukrainian and the Crimean authorities provided conflicting reports of the event.

The two casulties had a joint funeral attended by Crimean and Ukrainian Authorities. The event is now under investigation by both the Crimean Authorities and the Ukrainian military.

Versions of Events
Russia and Ukraine have disputed what occurred during the attack. None of the accounts given could be independently verified. The event is now under investigation by both the Crimean Authorities and the Ukrainian military.

Storming of Ukrainian Military Base
On Tuesday March 18 at aproximently 3 p.m, 15 masked gunmen attired in Russian uniforms without insignia arrived in two unmarked vehicles bearing Russian flags and stormed the 13th Photogrammatic Center of the Central Military-Topographic and Navigation Administration in Simferopol, located within a Ukrainian military base.

Although unclear as to how the incident began, reports emerged of a pro-Russian defense member attempting to climb a wall into the base compound and was told to get back by Ukrainian troops. Unmarked soldiers then intervened and began firing automatic weapons at Ukrainian military personnel, fatally injuring an on duty junior officer in the neck who was manning a watchtower overseeing a vehicle pool at the base, two more servicemen were wounded, another with neck wounds and one who suffered head injuries after being beaten with iron bars. The base was then stormed by 15 gunmen armed with shotguns and AK-47's assisted by two vehicles bearing the Russian flag. An AFP correspondent who heard gun-fire reported seeing 10 masked gunmen entering a nautical military building during the shoot-out and taking several Ukrainian soldiers as hostage. Gunfire was continually heard inside. The remaining military personnel barricaded themselves on the 2nd floor of the nautical building refusing to surrender. The bases' headquarters building was taken along with commander of the Ukrainian military unit Col. Andriy Andryushyn. The base was then sealed off by self-defense forces. A pro-Russian member of a Crimean self-defense brigade was also shot dead, allegedly from friendly-fire or resisting Ukrainian troops.

By late Tuesday, the centre military building was taken after negotiations with officials. Eighteen Ukrainian soldiers were captured, disarmed, and placed under arrest by Crimean authorities. The soldiers were then placed in rows and had all personnel documents seized along with their ID's, weapons, and money being confiscated. After the takeover Ukrainian Lt.Col. Oleksandr Kalyan was last seen.

Ukrainian nationalist Right Sector attack
The Russian and Ukrainian soldiers were allegedly both killed by the same sniper who likely wanted to escalate the 2014 Crimean crisis.

On March 18, self-defense forces received a warning of unidentified armed individuals' presence in an unfinished building located across from a Ukrainian Military Installation. A member of a local Crimean defense brigade was then shot dead, another wounded, when investigating the scene by the sniper(s) positions in the building. The (sniper) shots that killed a Ukrainian officer and wounded another came from the same window. It was reported that Crimean authorities later detained a 17-year old nationalist Right Sector marksman from Western Ukraine in connection to the killings. The perpetrators that took part in the attack are still on the loose. However, later the head of Crimean "self-defense" did not confirm that the marksmen was detained.

Investigation by Crimean Prosecutor General
The Crimean Prosecutor General Natalia Poklonskaya is investigating the incident.

Initial Statement of Crimean Prosecutor General day after incident
The pre-trial investigation services found out the following:

Several unarmed officials of the Russian Defence Ministry following agreement with both the commander of Ukrainian military base A-36-74, and Kiev came to discuss cartography issues while the cartographers were working inside the base, crimean self-defence forces, were shot outside the base.

Series of shots were fired both at Ukrainian soldiers and members of crimean self-defence forces. There are victims on both sides: a Cossack from self-defence was killed and another one was injured. One Ukrainian soldier from the military base was killed and another one was injured.

Right now the exact position and number of shooters are being ascertained

The scene of action was examined by 6 investigation groups, including criminolgists, detectives from the Crimean Republic attorney office, detectives from main department of the ministry of internal affairs, and members of other related departments. According to these experts there is a high possibility of similarity with the actions of snipers on Maidan, Kiev, from 18 to 21 February 2014. In this case their aim was most likely is to provoke conflict between soldiers of the Ukraine and the Crimean Republic.

Several expert examinations are complete, including forensic medical examinations. Ballistic examinations are continuing, along with interviewing witnesses.

Ukraine

 * Ensign (Praporshchik) Serhiy Kokurin - dead (shot in the heart while on patrol)
 * Captain V. Fedun - wounded in the neck and arm
 * Unidentified Ukrainian soldier - seriously injured in the head after blows from a iron bar

Crimea self-defense Forces

 * Ruslan Kazakov (Russian mercenary, veteran of Chechen wars, Don Cossack militia member from Volgograd) - dead (sniper-fire)
 * Alexander Yukalo (Rank Unknown) - Wounded (Shot in the thigh)
 * Several other unidentified members wounded