Ukraine's Defense Ministry says that about a third of Ukrainian servicemen stationed in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea chose to move to mainland Ukraine after Russia had annexed the peninsula, according to RFE/RL's Krym-Realii media project.
"As of March 1, 2014, some 13,468 servicemen served in military units and institutions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine stationed in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. Of them, there were 4,637 officers and 8,831 common soldiers, sergeants and first sergeants. Some 3,991 servicemen arrived in mainland Ukraine, including 1,649 officers and 2,342 common soldiers, sergeants and first sergeants," the ministry said in response to a request from Information Resistance Group head, military analyst and Member of Parliament Dmytro Tymchuk, Krym-Realii said.
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