What should Ukraine order its surrounded troops to do?

[KeepItReal]

Besieged on their bases on Ukrainian soil (which Crimea is) ?

Surrender to Russian forces and their sympathizers?

Hold out for assistance? From what quarter?

I'm confounded.

[elleng]

1. Not much,

can't have physical conflict.

[TwilightGardener]

2. Stand until disarmed--they will be told to leave Crimea then, I guess.

If they don't, probably they'll be arrested under Crimean authority and held in jail or detained in some way, or driven out.

[KeepItReal]

4. Who or what is "Crimean authority"?

Do they trump the Ukrainian government (such as it is right now) these troops report to?

[TwilightGardener]

5. I think they're somewhat autonomous. They can make up the laws as they go along

anyway--they already have when they "invited" Russia to invade.

[KeepItReal]

8. Russians seized Crimean airfields before anyone asked for their assistance

These pro Russian folks in Crimea aren't all autonomous methinks

[TwilightGardener]

9. Well, no one really knows, because they were just "gunmen" with no insignia.

[KeepItReal]

10. Could've been Spetsnaz or mercs

Either way they had orders from Putin

Controlling airfields means only Russian aircraft into or out of Crimea. Ukrainian forces would have to fight their way in to relieve their own forces there.

Once I saw that happen, the tables were turned in Moscows favor.

[okaawhatever]

15. Invasion 101: Capture airfield, cut off comms, block all ingress and egress. nt

[okaawhatever]

12. A clear violation of the Vienna Convention. Which is yet another issue. Also, the Crimea is an

autonomous Republic under Ukraine. It is not independent. They do not have the authority to "invite" Russia to invade. Also, the leases Russia has with Ukraine on the base states that the forces can't engage in military action. Only self-defense, which is one of the reasons Putin kept using that lie. There will certainly be legal implications for those who left the Russian base and engaged in military type behavior, such as the armed checkpoints. It will probably be military or international law. Putin will keep the self-defense meme going but the longer this goes without violence, the less likely it will be for him to use it.

[KeepItReal]

13. Thanks. Good info to know.

Eom

[okaawhatever]

14. I said Vienna, but I meant Geneva. Vienna is still floating around in my head because of the

diplomatic row with the Indian ambassador woman who was arrested for forging the visa documents. (all of that fell under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations).

The Geneva convention played a big part in all the gitmo issues.

[KeepItReal]

16. Roger that

eom

[Avalux]

3. Nothing yet, and pray the rest of the world can reason with Putin.

I do not think there will be armed conflict; the solution will probably end up being Crimea back to Russia at least.

[Warpy]

6. If they're smart, to stand down and bide their time

Taking territory and holding it are two different things, as the US military well knows.

[tomm2thumbs]

7. indeed - good point

[former9thward]

11. They should surrender.

No point dying for a lost cause.