DHAKA: Crimea’s pro-Moscow prime minister Sergiy Aksyonov on Monday said he was leaving for Moscow after the local assembly approved a motion to secede from Ukraine and apply to become part of Russia.

‘We are flying to Moscow,’ he tweeted, after local authorities had earlier said a Crimean delegation would travel to Russia later on Monday in the wake of Sunday’s referendum.

The Straits Times publishes this report.

BDST: 1656 HRS, MAR 17, 2014