Ukraine guilty of dangerous ‘provocations,’ Russia says after it seizes ships

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Seized Ukrainian military vessels are seen in a port of Kerch, Crimea, on November 26, 2018. – Kiev and Moscow faced their worst crisis in years on November 26, 2018 as Ukraine and its Western allies demanded the release of three ships fired on and seized by Russia near Crimea. Russian forces boarded and captured the ships on Sunday, with Moscow accusing the vessels of illegally entering Russian waters off the coast of Crimea in the Sea of Azov.

Russia seized three Ukrainian ships on Sunday but the Kremlin has said Ukraine is guilty of “provocations.”

Russia’s seizure of three Ukrainian Navy vessels, and 23 crew members, in the Kerch Strait (a channel that separates the Sea of Azov and Black Sea, to the south of Ukraine and Russia) on Sunday has provoked international criticism and concern.

But Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday that President Putin would announce his stance on the situation in the next few days and that “it would be wrong to underestimate the significance and danger of such provocations,” Russian news agency TASS reported.

Ukraine called the seizure an “act of aggression” and said the incident violates a 2003 treaty between the countries that enshrines shared access to the Kerch Strait and Sea of Azov.

Russia said the ships were illegally in its territorial waters in the Black Sea and said they were “performing dangerous maneuvers.” Russia also says that the ships did not respond to the demands of the Russian Federal Security Service (the FSB, Russia’s intelligence agency) border directorate and the Black Sea Fleet to stop.