Lavrov: Ukrainian officers received secret orders to break into the Sea of Azov
Ukrainian officers on ships that violated Russia's state border were ordered not to inform Moscow about their journey and to secretly enter the Sea of Azov, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.
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| Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Photo: Sputnik |
According to him, the provocation in the Kerch Strait was intended to solve Kiev's internal political problems in the context of Piotr Poroshenko's disastrous decline in popularity.
"The goal of this action, of course, is to remind the West not to forget Ukraine, because European governments are at least tired of the Kiev regime. The US may not be tired yet, I'm not sure," the Russian Foreign Minister commented.
On November 25, three ships of the Ukrainian Navy Berdyansk, Nikopol and Yana Kapa, in violation of Articles 19 and 21 of the UN Convention, illegally crossed the Russian maritime border. These ships did not comply with the legitimate requests of the Russian authorities.
Russia decided to use weapons. All three ships were detained about 20 kilometers off the Russian coast. Russia has opened a criminal case for violating the state border.
