Russian security service officers to return to Ukraine's Crimea
15:4012/05/2010 ST. PETERSBURG, May 12 (RIA Novosti) - Russian and Ukrainian special services plan to sign a deal next week to return Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) personnel to Ukraine's Crimea, FSB chief said on Wednesday.
In late 2009, Ukraine ordered 19 Federal Security Service (FSB) officers to leave the city of Sevastopol in the Crimea, where Russia's Black Sea fleet is based.
"We and our colleagues from the SBU [the Ukrainian Security Service] have agreed to return our secret service agents to Sevastopol. Next week representatives of the two special services will meet to sign a new agreement on collaboration in maintaining security," Alexander Bortnikov said.
A source in Sevastopol's security structures said the first group of Russian security officers has already returned to the base.
The victory of "pro-Russian" Viktor Yanukovych in Ukraine's presidential elections in February for has led to dramatic improvements in bilateral ties, which soured under the previous president, Viktor Yushchenko.
Yushchenko pledged to force the Russian fleet to leave Crimea when its lease expired in 2017. Under a deal finalized last month, Yanukovych agreed to prolong the lease for 25 years in exchange for a 30% discount on Russian gas.
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