DHAKA: Ukraine’s acting president announced on Monday that the ex-Soviet nation’s troops have been given orders to withdraw from Crimea following the peninsula’s seizure and annexation by Russia.

‘The national security and defence council has reached a decision, under instructions from the defence ministry, to conduct a redeployment of military units stationed in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea,’ acting president Oleksandr Turchynov told a meeting of top lawmakers, reports The Straits Times.

‘The cabinet of ministers has instructions to resettle the families of soldiers as well as everyone else who today is forced to leave their homes under the pressure and aggression of the Russian army`s occupying forces.’

Turchynov’s announcement came less than a month after Russian president Vladimir Putin won authorisation to use force against his western neighbour following the Feb 22 ouster in Kiev of a pro-Kremlin regime by leaders who are seeking closer relations with Europe.

Ukraine’s heavily outnumbered forces had been steadily losing ground on the Black Sea peninsula and saw their main airbase outside the regional capital Simferopol stormed by Russian troops on Saturday.

BDST: 1706 HRS, MAR 24, 2014