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MOSCOW – Russia and Ukraine have accused each other of causing an incident at sea on Sunday, causing a rapid escalation of tensions between neighbors and prompting Moscow to close a vital water route taken by the two countries.
On Sunday morning, Russia prevented three Ukrainian ships from entering the Kerch Strait, a narrow strip of water connecting the Azov and Black seas. According to the Ukrainian Navy, ships belonging to the Russian border service opened fire on Ukrainian ships, injuring two seafarers.
Moscow had prevented the ships from entering the Kerch Strait by placing a large cargo ship under a Bridge under Russian control. Russia then closed the strait.
Russia says that the Ukrainian navy has illegally entered its waters. The two artillery boats and a tug "illegally entered a temporarily closed area of the territorial sea of Russia around 7 am Moscow time this morning," said the Russian border control service at the time. Interfax news agency. "It is clear that their goal is to create a situation of conflict in the region."
Ukraine is challenging this. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Russia was acting "aggressively" and "illegally using force against Ukrainian navy ships". A Russian ship struck the tug and damaged it, the Ukrainian Navy added.
A bilateral treaty gives both countries the right to use the Azov Sea.
A ship under a Russian-controlled bridge blocks the crossing of the Kerch Strait, a narrow strip of water connecting the Azov and Black Seas, on November 25, 2018. (Photo AP)
The confrontation fears a new confrontation between Russia and Ukraine, which have been fighting since the fall of the Ukrainian pro-Moscow government more than four years ago. This decision resulted in the annexation by Russia of the Crimean peninsula and the ongoing war in the East pro-Russian separatists.
Fighting between rebels and Ukrainian troops has claimed the lives of more than 10,300 people since 2014 and incessant skirmishes cause almost daily casualties.
Ukraine is committed to reacting to Sunday's incident. "We will react dynamically," said Ukrainian Navy spokesman Oleh Chalyk. "Unlike the Russian Federation, we act in accordance with international law."
According to the Ukrainian Navy, Russia sent two combat helicopters to the scene of the incident. Local media have reported that dozens of ships, both freighters and tourists, are stranded on the Black Sea.
Ukrainian ships were crossing the Black Sea after leaving the port city of Odessa for Mariupol on the coast of the Azov Sea, the Ukrainian city controlled by the nearest separatist government. Donetsk and Luhansk.
Tensions between Russia and Ukraine have steadily increased in recent months and have even entered new battlefields.
Last month, the conflict overflowed in the region of faith when the Ukrainian Orthodox Church officially left Moscow's control, an action that continues to provoke Kremlin anger.
In the middle of the deadlock on the Black Sea, the famous Russian TV host Dmitry Kiselyov told state television that Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko was fighting against Russia under the impetus of the states -United.
"What is happening now at [Kerch] bridge is likely to become a very unpleasant story, "said Kiselyov, one of the main propagandists of the Kremlin.
Stern reported from Kiev Ukraine.
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