International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea orders Russia to release Ukrainian sailors
The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea has ordered Russia to release Ukrainian sailors and naval vessels seized in the Kerch Strait, the head of the Tribunal, Paik Jin-Hyun, said.
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| Ukrainian Navy ships seized by Russia in November 2018. |
At the same time, the court noted that it did not consider it necessary to require Russia to stop criminal prosecution of the sailor and not initiate a new case.
The decision of the court in Hamburg is final and binding on the parties to the dispute.
However, Russia said it would not participate in the hearing, as the court had no jurisdiction to consider Ukraine's case.
The Russian Foreign Ministry commented on the court's ruling, pointing out that in resolving the Kerch Strait incident, the possibility of resorting to the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea was ruled out.
Diplomats also stressed that Russia will continue to defend its position, including the view that the arbitration court has no jurisdiction to consider this controversial situation.
“The incident could not have happened if Russian laws on waterway traffic in the region had been observed. We call on the Ukrainian side to act in the same way in the future,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
On November 25, 2018, three Ukrainian Navy ships Berdyansk, Nikopol and Yana Kapa allegedly crossed the Russian maritime border illegally. The ships did not comply with the legitimate requests of the Russian authorities. Russia decided to use weapons. All three ships were detained about 20 km from the Russian coast.
In the incident, three Ukrainian soldiers were slightly injured. They received medical care, their lives are not in danger. Russia has opened a criminal case for violating the state border.
