BBC Online :
Ukraine’s interim President Olexander Turchynov says he has ordered the withdrawal of armed forces from Crimea.
The decision was taken because of Russian threats to the lives of military staff and their families, the president announced.
Russian troops have seized most of Ukraine’s bases in the peninsula, including the naval base at Feodosia.
Earlier this month, Russia annexed Crimea after a referendum which Ukraine and the West considered illegal.
The G7 group of industrialised countries is to consider a collective response to the crisis during talks in The Hague.
G7 leaders are meeting on the sidelines of a long-planned summit on global threats to nuclear security.
Speaking ahead of the talks, US President Barack Obama said Europe and America were united in their support of the Ukrainian government and its people.
Alongside Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Obama said the US and Europe were also “united in imposing a cost on Russia for its actions (in Ukraine) so far”.
“The national security and defence council has reached a decision, under instructions from the defence ministry, to conduct a redeployment of military units stationed in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea,” interim President Turchynov said.
“The cabinet of ministers has instructions to resettle the families of soldiers as well as everyone else who today is forced to leave their homes under the pressure and aggression of the Russian army’s occupying forces.” The flags of Crimea and Sevastopol are added to Russia’s parliament during a ceremony
A Ukrainian defence official has told the BBC that every military base in Crimea is now under Russian control, with just two naval ships and a single police base still flying the Ukrainian flag.
Russian defence officials earlier said that the tricolour of Russia had been hoisted at 189 Ukrainian military units and facilities in Crimea.
Earlier on Monday, Russian troops captured the naval base at Feodosia, the third such takeover in 48 hours.
Defence spokesman Vladislav Seleznyov said the Russians had attacked the base from two directions using armoured personnel carriers and stun grenades.
The BBC’s Mark Lowen in Crimea says the order to withdraw is hugely significant and can be regarded as a de facto military surrender, although Kiev would never admit it.
