The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine is concerned with a statement by Russian defense minister Sergey Shoygu circulated in a number of Russian media concerning the deployment of "a full-scale and self-sufficient military force grouping on the Crimean direction”.

Having created a "grey zone" on a part of the sovereign territory of Ukraine, which de-facto is currently not covered by any multilateral arrangements in the sphere of arms control, the Russian Federation continues to build up its military presence in the Crimea and to create a military attack groupings with unclear objectives. The reasons of such military preparations provided by the Russian defence minister – a build-up of a foreign military presence near Russian borders and the aggravation of the situation in Ukraine – are beyond any criticism, especially considering the recently reached cease-fire agreement in Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine regards the statement of Sergey Shoygu as the one that destabilizes the situation in the entire Black Sea region.

Ukraine urges the Russian Federation to stop provocative actions that threaten the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and peace in the region.