Ukrainian frontiersmen are ready to fight against Russia when needed

03.12.2010 In contrast to Ukraine's Zmeiny Island (specifically, the adjacent shelf) handed over to Romania, Ukrainian frontiersmen will never left Tuzla. Seventeen servicemen who keep watch at Ukraine's outpost are ready to rebuff invaders if necessary, writes Krymskaya Pravda.

According to the frontier post commander Capt Alexander Galaniuk, despite the quiet situation "this area is of strategic significance". "If needed, reinforcement will come soon. Ships and boats will arrive in 12 minutes, helicopters – in three hours", he said.

Not 17 but 500 Ukrainian frontiersmen were here in 2003. "Ukraine was seriously preparing for battle; the site was heavily militarized", said the newspaper.

Answering the question about plans to disband the frontier post as it was at Zmeiny Island, the top-ranking official from Ukrainian Frontier Service knapped: "The frontier post Tuzla will remain there".

According to the newspaper, Tusla is the only frontier post in Ukraine.

Recall that Tuzla became a subject of territorial dispute between Russia and Ukraine in 2003. Russian authorities insisted that Tusla is a part of bar belonging to Russian territory while only continental part of Crimea Peninsula was handed over to Ukraine in 1954. As is known, Ukraine demands that the frontier must coincide with old Soviet border line between Crimean region (Ukrainian Soviet Republic) and Krasnodar Krai (Russian Soviet Republic). Moscow says there were no water borders between Soviet republics and that it is not a frontier but simply a division of responsibility zones. "If we draw the line in the Ukraine's manner, it would lie just at Russian coast. They would control Tuzla and fairways. It means that Russia would lose own access from the Azov to the Black Sea", explained a high-ranked Russian negotiator.