On the same day that Russian President Vladimir Putin called him an illegitimate leader, interim Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk made a plea for national unity and renewed his demand that the Kremlin withdraw its military from Russian-occupied Crimea.

Yatensiuk expressed pride in the Ukrainian military for standing their ground and not giving in to the threats and provocations of the Russian military forces who control the peninsula. He also made a special plea to Crimea’s 2.2 million residents, more than half of whom are ethnic Russians.