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Russia seized three Ukrainian warships off the coast of the Crimean peninsula, causing a major escalation of tensions between the two countries.
Two gunboats and a tug were captured by Russian forces. The Ukraine says that they shot six wounded crew members.
Countries blame each other for the incident. The government of Ukraine said it was going to declare martial law.
The crisis began when Russia accused Ukrainian ships of entering illegally.
The Russians have placed an oil tanker under a bridge in the Kerch Strait – the only access to the Azov Sea, which is shared between the two countries.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has convened an urgent meeting of his "war cabinet" about the incident, his spokesman said.
Tensions have recently increased in the Black Sea and the Azov Sea off the Crimean Peninsula – annexed by Russia in 2014.
How did the crisis unfold?
In the morning, the gunboats Berdyansk and Nikopol of Ukraine and the tug Yana Kapa tried to leave the port of Odessa on the Black Sea to get to Mariupol in the sea of Azov.
Ukraine said the Russians had tried to intercept the ships and attack the tug. The ships continued to the Kerch Strait, but were prevented by the tanker.
Copyright of the image
Reuters
An oil tanker under the bridge closed all navigation from and to the Azov Sea
Russia has scrambled two fighter planes and two helicopters in the region. He accused the vessels of illegally entering his waters and reported that the traffic had been suspended for security reasons.
The Ukrainian Navy later stated that the boats had been hit and neutralized while they were trying to leave the area. He said the tug had been forced to stop.
The Russian FSB then confirmed that one of its patrol boats had used force to seize the three Ukrainian ships.
Ukraine said that it had informed the Russians of its plan to get its ships by sea to Mariupol.
Blame game
Analysis by Steven Rosenberg, BBC News Moscow
The tension between Russia and Ukraine has been accumulating for months in Crimea.
Under a 2003 treaty between Moscow and Kiev, the Kerch Strait and the Azov Sea are shared territorial waters.
But recently, Russia has begun to inspect all ships to or from Ukrainian ports.
The use of force by Russia to seize Ukrainian ships – with casualties – is a major escalation. But you will not hear Moscow take the blame.
Under President Vladimir Putin, when Russia used force, its line of defense has always been: "We have not launched it." This is true for the Russian-Georgian war of 2008 and the appearance of "Little Green Men" (Russian special forces) in Crimea in 2014, which preceded the annexation of the peninsula by Moscow.
So, expect Moscow to blame what happened on Sunday and what will happen next to President Poroshenko's government.
What is the context of this?
Azov's shallow sea lies to the east of Crimea and south of the Ukrainian regions partially seized by pro-Russian separatists.
The two Ukrainian ports located on its northern coast – Berdyansk and Mariupol – are essential for the export of cereals and products such as steel, as well as for the import of coal.
The 2003 treaty between Ukraine and Russia guaranteed the free navigation of ships of both countries.
But Russia has recently started inspecting ships to or from Ukrainian ports. Earlier this month, the EU warned that it would take "targeted measures" to address this problem.
The inspections began shortly after Ukraine stopped a Crimean fishing boat in March. They are needed for security reasons in Moscow, pointing out that the Ukrainian radicals could pose a threat to the bridge.
More than 10,000 people have been killed in the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk since the separatists took a stand against the Ukrainian state in April 2014.
Ukraine and the West accuse Russia of sending its troops to the region and arming the separatists.
Moscow denies it but says that Russian volunteers help the rebels.
