The Russian flag is now flying over all military sites in Crimea, President Vladimir Putin was told on Friday.<br /><br />Moscow’s full control was confirmed by his Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu who said all Ukrainian servicemen who have <br />opted to remain loyal to Kyiv have left the peninsula.<br /><br />Honouring Russian officers at the Kremlin, Putin praised the way the country’s military stationed in Crimea had conducted itself.<br /><br />Recent events had, he said,“demonstrated both the completely new capabilities of our Armed Forces and the high morale of the personnel”.<br /><br />Russian media says Moscow will now scrap bilateral agreements with Ukraine that have traditionally governed the presence of the Russian fleet in Crimea.<br /><br />But warships, war planes and other military hardware seized by Moscow during its annexation will reportedly be returned to the Ukrainian army.
