Ukrainian border guards, military tighten security on Crimean border

The Ukrainian State Border Guard Service has "reinforced the administrative border" between Kherson region and Crimea, Oleh Slobodian, aide to the head of the State Border Guard Service and spokesman for the Service, has said.

The head of the State Border Guard Service gave all necessary commands on Sunday, August 7, "when the first indications of the exacerbation of the situation appeared." Therefore, the State Border Guard Service has now taken all necessary measures to reinforce the border, Slobodian said on 112 Ukraina television.

"We are working in cooperation with the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the National Police, and other law enforcement agencies. We are now in a state that helps us be ready for any development of events," he said.

On August 10, the Russian Federal Security Service said terrorist acts allegedly prepared by Ukrainian intelligence had been averted in Crimea. It was reported that the Russian special services, with support from other defense and security units, had prevented groups of saboteurs and terrorists from breaking into Crimea from the territory of Ukraine.

The Ukrainian Defense Ministry, the Main Intelligence Department and the National Security and Defense Council have denied the reports on Ukrainian saboteurs. The Defense Ministry also said the accusations made by Russia of attacks on the peninsula from mainland Ukraine are similarly groundless.