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A two-month detention was ordered by a court in the Russian Crimean District for the first of 24 Ukrainian sailors arrested during the capture of three Kiev warships by Russian forces in the Kerch Strait on the Black Sea, according to TASS. A moment later, the release of 11 other Ukrainians was announced, bringing to 12 the number of detainees.
The incident occurred on Sunday when Russian forces opened fire and seized three warships Ukrainian. At least three sailors were injured.
Kyiv argues that the vessels were in shared territorial waters and regularly crossed the sea of Azov, which has a patrol right on the basis of a bilateral treaty.
The sailors are on trial in the city of Simferopol, Crimea, which is the peninsula annexed to Russia in 2014.
The decision to prosecute is likely to aggravate the crisis between the two countries, which has provoked intense reactions from the international community, while the West has sanctioned Moscow.
Russian television broadcasts interrogations with three sailors
At the same time, the decision by Russia to broadcast on public television interrogations of three sailors, who seem to confess under pressure, is impressed. "I recognize that the actions of Ukrainian navy ships were provocative," said a sailor, who was named Vladimir Lisov. "I was ordering," he added.
Military law in Ukraine
On Monday, the Ukrainian government declared a military law in some border areas. The country's president, Petro Poroshenko, said that there was an extremely serious threat of invasion by Russia.
Russian forces have reinforced their naval presence in the region and restricted access to Ukraine since the construction of a bridge over the Strait in May. The Ukrainian government has broadcast a video clip of one of its warships hit by a Russian ship.
According to Reuters, two Russian policemen armed with automatic rifles were docked aboard Ukrainian ships in Kerch. The boats showed obvious signs of collision while large holes were visible in their skeleton.
New European sanctions are applied
At the same time, German, Austrian, Polish and Estonian politicians evoke the possibility of new European sanctions against Russia for the Kerch incident, while the West fears a wider conflict.
The UN secretary general has called on Russia and Ukraine to show "maximum restraint" and to avoid further escalation, said Antonio Guterres in a statement, stating that he was the more concerned about this incident. At the same time, he urged Moscow and Kiev to take immediate action to reduce tensions.
The initiative was also developed by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who, as her spokeswoman said, spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and stressed the need for A de-escalation and a dialogue.
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