A Ukrainian soldier has been killed at an army base in Crimea after an assault by unknown attackers. <br /><br />Unconfirmed reports claimed the serviceman, a cartographer, was shot dead by a sniper. <br /><br />It is the first such death on the peninsula since pro-Russian forces took control of Crimea in February. <br /><br />A second Ukrainian serviceman, a captain was also wounded at the Simferopol base.<br /><br />“Some men just rushed in, broke the windows, made everyone lie on the floor,” said one eyewitness. <br /><br />Ukraine’s Prime Minister immediately denounced the attack as a ‘war crime’.<br /><br />In a worrying sign of escalating tensions on the peninsula, Kyiv has in response, according to Reuters news agency, reportedly authorised Ukrainian military personnel to use weapons to defend their lives.
