Contents tagged with Kerch Strait

  • Russian patrol vessel Sergey Kotov damaged in Ukrainian naval drone strike

    A representative of the Ukrainian Navy, Dmytro Pletenchuk, has reported that a search and rescue operation was conducted by the Russians following the strike on their patrol vessel Sergey Kotov on the night of March 5th. Speaking on the channel "We – Ukraine," Pletenchuk said, "Some crew members were certainly evacuated. However, considering that the incident occurred in the dark, the cold water temperature, and the damage sustained by the ship, I cannot say that the majority of the crew …

  • Russia closes passage to ships through the Kerch Strait into Azov Sea

    Russia has closed the passage of ships loaded outside of Russia through the Kerch Strait into the Sea of Azov, reported TASS, citing the Main Directorate of Maritime Affairs under the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure of Turkey.

    "According to the official notification that we received from the maritime administration of the Russian Federation, the passage of ships loaded outside the territory of the Russian Federation to the north through the Kerch Strait, which provides passage to the …

  • Putin approves decree allowing Russian military to block Kerch Strait

    In a decree published on the Kremlin’s website, Russian President Vladimir Putin has allowed the Russian military to block the territories and waters around protected facilities to stop attempts of illegal infiltration.

    The explanatory note to the document says that the Russian National Guard protects the waters of the Kerch Strait, the bridge over it and the water area around the Russian power grid link with Crimea.

    In addition, according to Putin's decree, the military can cordon these …

  • Russia closes Kerch Strait to Ukraine

    Russia has announced the that it is closing the Kerch Strait for warships of Ukraine and other countries during its military exercises, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.

    According to Kyiv, the decision comes into force from next week and will be in effect until October. It extends to parts of the Black Sea adjacent to the Kerch Strait.

    "Such actions of the Russian Federation are yet another violation of the norms and principles of international law. They are intended to usurp …

  • Ukraine files lawsuit against Russia in International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea

    The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has handed over to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea a memorandum with claims to Russia for the incident in the Kerch Strait.

    "Memorandum of Ukraine to the Arbitration Tribunal in The Hague with evidence in the case of the seizure of our sailors and ships in the Black Sea in November 2018. Signed and sent. Russia must answer for violations of international law," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said in a statement. Kyiv …

  • Ukrainian President Zelensky asks Putin to return equipment from Ukrainian ships

    During a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky noted the importance of the fact that Russia returned to Ukraine the ships that were captured in Kerch Strait last year. At the same time, in a statement published on Facebook, Zelensky said that it is necessary to return all equipment  and documentation that were taken from the ships..

    The Kremlin's press service confirmed the conversation between the two presidents.

    Boats Berdyansk, …

  • Kyiv: Russia returning captured boats is not an act of goodwill

    Russia returning the three captured Ukrainian naval vessels should be considered nothing more than the implementation of a court ruling, wrote Ukrainian Defense Minister Andriy Zahorodniuk on Telegram.

    “It is not an act of goodwill… I consider these developments nothing other than the aggressor-state implementing the May ruling of the International Sea Tribunal,” Interfax-Ukraine cites him as saying.

    The head of Ukraine’s defense department noted that specialists will soon examine the ships …

  • Russia to return ships seized in Kerch Strait to Ukraine

    Russia will return to Ukraine the ships detained during the conflict in the Kerch Strait, reports Kommersant, citing two informed sources.

    According to the newspaper's interlocutors, the countries are at the final stage of negotiations. Parties already agreed on the date and exact place of the transfer of the ships.

    Sources say that the return of the ships will take place at sea, not in port. Three Russian tugs will tow the vessels to an agreed point where three Ukrainian tugs will meet them. …

  • Kremlin to exchange 33 Russians for 33 Ukrainian prisoners

    Russia and Ukraine are close to concluding a prisoner exchange. According to recent information, Moscow and Kyiv are discussing a “33 for 33” exchange that will not take into account the editor-in-chief of RIA Novosti’s Ukrainian branch, Kirill Vyshinsky, reports RBC news agency citing an informed source. Two other sources familiar with the details of the negotiation process on both sides confirmed that such an exchange scenario is being discussed.

    According to the current plan, Vyshinsky’s …

  • Russia may release Ukrainian sailors detained in Kerch Strait by end of August

    The exchange of detainees between Russia and Ukraine will take place before the end of August, including sailors detained in the Kerch Strait in November, reports the newspaper Kommersant .

    According to the publication, the lists of detainees are still under review. In addition to sailors, other detainees could be transferred to Ukraine. It is unknown whether Russia considers the possibility of transfer to Ukraine the imprisoned director Oleg Sentsov, who was sentenced in Russia to 20 years of …