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Following Russia's bombardment of Ukrainian ships on the Black Sea, the conflict over Russia's annexed Crimean Peninsula is likely to intensify. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko called on parliament to declare martial law Monday at the end of a crisis meeting with the head of the security forces. Both countries blame each other for the incident. The United Nations Security Council was to convene an emergency meeting later in the day, at the request of both countries.
The crisis began Sunday when, with the aid of a freighter, Russia prevented three ships of the Ukrainian Navy from entering the Azov Sea. According to eyewitness accounts, at least two Russian fighter planes went to the scene of the confrontation. According to reports from Russian television, Russian combat helicopters would also be stationed in the region.
Patrol boats from the Russian border then fired on Ukrainian warships off the peninsula, injuring several sailors, according to unanimous statements by the Russian and Ukrainian governments. Then they confiscated the boats and took them to the port of Kerch. According to Russian sources, the three wounded Ukrainian sailors are not in danger of death. They would be treated medically.
Kiev calls on the international community to act
Russia justified its action against the Kerch Strait because Ukrainian navy ships illegally entered Russian waters and failed to respond to stop requests. In addition, the three smaller vessels have attempted to "commit illegal acts," the FSB said, according to reports by Russian news agencies.
"As a result, the three ships of the Ukrainian navy were confiscated in the territorial waters of the Russian Federation," said the FSB. A spokeswoman for the Foreign Ministry spoke of a provocation from Ukraine and announced that she would be ordering a Ukrainian diplomat for the incident.
The Kiev government condemned Russia's actions as an aggressive military act and called on the international community to punish Russia. President Poroshenko on Monday demanded the immediate release of sailors: "We demand that they be handed immediately to the Ukrainian side with the ships". The "brutal" arrest violates international law.
Russia accuses Ukraine of electoral tactics
Russia considered that the announcement of Poroshenko wanting to impose martial law in his country was an electoral tactic. "This is really a good start for Poroshenko's election campaign," Konstantin Kossachev, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Council of the Russian Federation (second chamber of parliament), wrote on Facebook on Monday. He talked about "an infamous pirate public relations action". Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has also adopted the same line. President Vladimir Putin's President, Dmitry Peskov, spoke of a "dangerous provocation".
In Ukraine, the presidential election will take place in March. With the imposition of martial law, elections could be postponed because, among other things, the right of meeting during the election campaign was not guaranteed and curfews could exist. Polls indicate defeat Poroshenko.
Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl on Monday expressed her "great concern". "The crossing would have been duly registered by Ukrainian vessels," said Kneissl. Both countries have signed a treaty on the use of the Azov Sea. A spokeswoman for the European Commission has described the behavior of Russia as unacceptable. Russia should return Ukrainian ships again. Take the case very seriously and support the territorial integrity of Ukraine.
The UN Security Council will deal with the escalation of the conflict during an emergency meeting Monday in New York at 11 am local time (17:00 CET). According to diplomats, the meeting would have been requested by Russia and Ukraine.
Russia had annexed the Crimean peninsula of the Black Sea from Ukraine in 2014 and created a land connection to southern Russia through the construction of a bridge. Due to annexation, the United States and the European Union imposed sanctions on Russia. The Sea of Azov can be used jointly by neighboring states. Relations between Moscow and Kiev have been broken because of the annexation of Crimea and the war in eastern Ukraine, where Moscow militarily badists pro-Russian separatists from the point of view Western. Earlier, the fall of President Viktor Yanukovych, friend of Russia, and turning to NATO and the EU had occurred in Ukraine.
(APA / dpa / AFP / Reuters)
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