NATO Secretary General calls on Russia to immediately release Ukrainian sailors and ships

He did not answer the question of whether the Alliance planned to take any specific measures in connection with the incident. Speaking about the war situation in Ukraine, the Secretary General expressed the hope that it would not affect the democratic process ahead of the elections.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. Photo: AFP

"Ukraine provided detailed information to NATO about what happened the day before. We continue to engage with the Ukrainian authorities to express our support to them. What we saw yesterday was a serious incident in which force was used. This contributed to the escalation of the situation in the region," Stoltenberg said after a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission at ambassadorial level.

"We call on Russia to immediately release the Ukrainian sailors and ships," he said, noting that the parties must now work to resolve the situation.

The Secretary General did not answer journalists' questions about whether the Alliance intends to take specific actions regarding the situation around the Kerch Strait.

On November 25, three Ukrainian Navy ships 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 seized about 20 kilometers off 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.