Ukraine, Russia agree brief Crimea truce Ukraine's defence minister said Sunday his forces in Crimea had reached a temporary truce with Russia aimed at easing tensions surrounding the Black Sea peninsula's high-stakes secession referendum. The Russian forces have encircled Ukraine's military bases in Crimea and kept its naval ships from going out to sea, but promised on Sunday that there would be no attempts to blockade Ukranian military installations until Friday March 21. IMAGES of Ukranian and Russian ships in the port of Sevastopol.