going into nearby towns for fear of provoking noisy confrontations. On 4 June 2006 U.S. marines began leaving Crimea. American and Ukrainian officials stated because their contract was ending. Associated Press reported that no repair work was done at the base they were assigned to renovate. On June 8 Ukraine and United Kingdom postponed Tight Knot. On 20 July 2006 the United States cancelled Sea Breeze, "due to the situation in the Middle East". Reportedly the group of protesters rarely consisted of more than a few hundred demonstrators. They accused NATO and the United States of seeking a foothold in Ukraine. The Ukrainian defense ministry stated 2 June 2006 that the planned exercises were not connected with NATO. NATO-involved military events in Ukraine since 2006 The 2006 Crimean anti-NATO protests did not impact foreign military units to participate in multinational military exercises in Ukraine. Various military exercises (including ones with NATO troops) were held in Crimea since 2006. According to a poll by Razumkov Center in March 2011 some 51% of the Crimean residents considered NATO a threat, while across Ukraine this rate was 20.6% on average. See also Ukraine–NATO relations Anti-NATO References 2006 in Ukraine 2006 protests Anti-militarism in Europe History of Crimea Political scandals in Ukraine Protests in Ukraine Riots and civil disorder in Ukraine Feodosia Municipality Opposition to NATO