SIMFEROPOL. Dec 14 (Interfax) - The security and terrorist threats faced by Crimea this year have come mostly from Ukraine, according to the region's head, Sergei Aksyonov.
"Attempts of the Ukrainian administration to destabilize the situation in the region remain the principal threat. The latest example is a provocation during which Ukrainian military ships violated the Russian border and were detained," Aksyonov wrote on Facebook on Friday after a meeting of Crimea's counterterrorism commission.
There has been an increase in terrorist threats coming from Ukraine and international terrorist organizations, he wrote. "Agents of Ukrainian special services may be involved in sabotage and terrorist plots. These include people with origins in Crimea, members of the so-called Numan Celebicihan volunteer battalion, and secretly operating members of the international terrorist organization Hizb ut-Tahrir [banned in Russia]. Besides, Crimean residents who received combat experience as members of international terrorist groups may also be returning home," Aksyonov wrote.
The Crimean counterterrorism commission has generally coped with the evolving situation over the past year, he wrote. "However, we are facing new security challenges and threats. Efforts should be boosted for more effective protection of sites from potential terror attacks," Aksyonov wrote.