Russian troops were present on the territory of Crimea during the period when the peninsula was part of Ukraine legally and did not exceed the maximum number established by the relevant interstate agreements.
About this in interview Ex-Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, Special Presidential Representative for Environmental Activities, Ecology and Transport Sergei Ivanov told Kommersant when asked what he thought about what happened in 2014 in Ukraine.
He is convinced that a coup d'etat supported by the West took place in Ukraine.
“Moreover, supported in writing, I remind you that the foreign ministers wrote a well-known declaration, which was cynically torn up the next day, and pretended that they had forgotten about it. But the population not only of Crimea, but also of Eastern Ukraine did not accept this coup d’etat and refused to recognize the illegitimate Kyiv government, took to the streets to protest, and then it began quite spontaneously,” Ivanov recalled.
“But there were Russian troops on the territory of Crimea, and we never violated our quota under the Russian-Ukrainian agreement - 25 thousand military personnel on the territory of Crimea, I can tell you that for sure. Even after the grouping of our troops was strengthened, we never deliberately exceeded the limit of 25 thousand, so as not to be accused,” added the presidential representative.
He was also asked for his opinion on the prospects for ending the hot phase of the conflict in eastern Ukraine.
“Under the current government in Kyiv, there are no prospects for this,” Ivanov is convinced.