AKIPRESS.COM - Ukrainian border guards have begun patrolling the country's border with Russia north of Crimea, RIA Novosti reported referring to the Ukrainian Border Service.

The head of Ukraine's State Border Service, Nikolay Litvin, said that border guards had earlier evacuated equipment from Crimea, which will be deployed to enhance border security at the new patrol areas.

The Berdyansk border guard detachment and the newly created Kherson border guard detachment have joined the Azov-Black Sea Regional Directorate, he said.

A referendum on Crimea's accession to Russia was held last month. Russian President later issued a decree on the integration of the Black Sea peninsula, and signed a law on the formation of two new Russian constituent territories: the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol.

Ukraine's Western-backed interim government, however, still considers Crimea to be part of Ukraine.