Russia Seizes Ukranian Ships

An international incident occurred on 25 November 2018 when Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) border patrol boats captured three Ukrainian Navy vessels that had attempted to pass from the Black Sea into the Sea of Azov through the Kerch Strait while on their way to the port of Mariupol. In 2014, Russia annexed the nearby Crimean Peninsula, which is internationally recognised as Ukrainian territory, and later constructed the Crimean Bridge across the strait. During the incident, the bridge was used as a barrier to prevent the Ukrainian ships from entering the Sea of Azov. While Russia accused the Ukrainian ships of illegally entering its territorial waters, under a 2003 treaty, the Kerch Strait and the Sea of Azov are intended to be the shared territorial waters of both countries. According to Russia, its officers repeatedly asked the Ukrainian vessels to leave Russian territorial waters; when the Ukrainian Navy refused, Russian special forces fired on them and, following a chase, seized two Ukrainian gunboats and a tugboat off the coast of Crimea. According to different reports, three or six Ukrainian crew members were injured.

Later that day, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko signed a decree on martial law, which was approved by parliament the following day.

Oleksandr Turchynov, Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine, has reportedly said that the incident was an act of war by Russia. He has also stated that active military preparations have been spotted along the border on the Russian side.

Background

Russia annexed Crimea in 2014. The annexation is not officially recognized by the United Nations. the Kerch Strait connects the Sea of Azov with the Black Sea, and is formed by the coasts of the Russian Taman Peninsula and disputed Crimea. It is the point of access for ships travelling to and from Ukraine's eastern port cities, most notably Mariupol. While both Ukraine and Russia agreed to the principle of freedom of movement through the strait and the Sea of Azov in 2003, Russia has controlled both sides of the strait since the Crimean annexation. By May 2018, Russia had completed the construction of the Crimean Bridge which is 19-kilometre (12 mi) long spanning the strait, providing a direct land connection between Crimea and Moscow. The bridge's construction is subject to criticism from Ukraine and many other countries, which called the bridge construction illegal.

Events of the Seizure

The incident began in the morning of 25 November, when the Ukrainian Gyurza-M-class artillery boats Berdyansk, Nikopole, and tugboat Yana Kapa attempted a journey from Odessa in south-western Ukraine to the Azov Sea port of Mariupol in eastern Ukraine. As the ships approached the Kerch Strait, the Russian boats accused the Ukrainian ships of illegally entering its territorial waters, and ordered them to leave. When the Ukrainians refused, citing the 2003 Russo-Ukrainian treaty on freedom of navigation in the relevant area, Russian FSB border guard boats attempted the intercept them, and rammed Yana Kapa. The Ukrainian vessels continued toward the Crimean Bridge, but were prevented passage into the Sea of Azov by a large tanker positioned under the bridge, which blocked all passage through the strait.  Concurrently, Russia scrambled two fighter jets and two helicopters to patrol the strait. The Russian forces then fired on the Ukrainian boats, chased them as they tried to flee, and later captured them off the coast of Crimea.

Following the incident, the Ukrainian Navy reported that six servicemen had been injured by the Russian actions. According to some Ukrainian sources, two Russian ships were damaged. One was damaged while ramming the Ukrainian tugboat Yana Kapa. The Russian ship Don also collided with and damaged the Russian ship Izumrud. In the aftermath of the incident, officials from both countries accused the other of provocative behaviour. Ukraine decried the seizing of its ships as illegal. In a statement, the Ukrainian Navy said "After leaving the 12-mile zone, the Russian Federation's FSB opened fire at the flotilla belonging to... the armed forces of Ukraine".

Russia did not immediately or directly respond to the allegation, but Russian news agencies cited the Federal Security Service (FSB) as saying it had incontrovertible proof that Ukraine had orchestrated what it called a "provocation" and would publicise its evidence soon. Russia's border guard service accused Ukraine of not informing it in advance of the ships' journey and said the Ukrainian ships had been manoeuvring dangerously and ignoring its instructions with the aim of stirring up tensions. Russian politicians denounced the Ukrainian government, saying the incident looked like a calculated attempt by Ukraine's president to increase his popularity ahead of an election next year. The Ukrainian government rejected this, and said it had informed the Russians of the planned passage through the Kerch Strait in advance.

On the morning of 26 November, photographs of the captured Ukrainian ships laid up in the Crimean port of Kerch were published. In the photos, Russian servicemen are seen attempting to camouflage the ships. On that day, according to APK-Inform, Ukrainian commercial shipping returned to normal operation after the Kerch Strait was reopened to civilian traffic.

According to Ukrainian intelligence, the state of health of the Ukrainian Naval Forces servicemen who were victims of the attack in the Kerch Strait is satisfactory. The injured Ukrainian sailors are being treated at Pirogov Kerch City Hospital No. 1.

On 27 November, a Crimean court ordered that 12 of the 24 Ukrainian sailors be detained for 60 days.

                                 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_Kerch_Strait_incident