Patrick Greenfield – The Guardian
The Ukrainian president has proposed the imposition of martial law after Russian forces shot at and seized three Ukrainian navy vessels in the Black Sea, injuring six crew members according to Kiev, in a major escalation of tensions between the two countries.
On Monday, Ukrainian MPs will vote on whether to declare nationwide martial law in response to the attack following an emergency war cabinet held by the president, Petro Poroshenko. He said that the imposition of martial law would not imply a declaration of war and was only intended for defensive purposes.
The UN security council will also hold an emergency meeting on Monday about the incident following a request from Ukraine, the US ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley confirmed.
Sunday was a day of rising tensions between Russia and Ukraine, with hostilities focusing on the Kerch strait, which connects the Sea of Azov with the Black Sea. Russia has constructed a $3.69bn (£2.7bn) bridge over the strait following its occupation of Crimea to link the Russian mainland and the peninsula. The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, officially opened the bridge in May.
The FSB, Russia’s principal security agency, said its patrol boats had seized three naval vessels from Ukraine and used weapons to make them stop, adding that the boats had entered its territorial waters illegally.
In a televised war council meeting with the president, Ukrainian military commanders said 23 sailors had been taken captive by Russia and six had been wounded in fighting, including two seriously.
Pavlo Klimkin, the Ukrainian minister of foreign affairs, said it was “likely possible that Russia plans further acts of aggression at seas or on the ground” and said Ukraine must be “ready” after the president recommended the imposition of martial law.
Earlier, Russia had prevented the three Ukrainian navy vessels from passing beneath its bridge in the Kerch strait by blocking the way with a cargo ship. Two artillery ships and a tug boat were subsequently fired on and seized. According to the FSB, three Ukrainian sailors had been wounded, none of whom were in a life-threatening condition.
Russia’s FSB, which oversees the border guard service, said in a statement quoted by Russian news agencies that the Ukrainian ships “illegally entered a temporarily closed area of Russian territorial waters”. It said Ukraine’s ships were carrying out “provocative actions” and “their aim is clear – to create a conflict situation in this region”.
However, Ukraine said it had given Russia advance warning of the route its ships – which are obliged to pass through the strait to reach the Sea of Azov – would take .
The vote on whether to impose martial law in Ukraine comes four months ahead of presidential elections that Poroshenko is expected to lose. If Ukrainian MPs vote to suspend normal government, the elections could be postponed.
Martial law was not declared in Ukraine after the annexation of Crimea by Russia in 2014 or during the ongoing war in eastern Ukraine with Russian-backed forces.
Poroshenko appealed to Ukraine’s allies to protect his country and stand united against Russian aggression.
Maja Kocijančič, the EU spokesperson for foreign affairs and security, has urged both sides to show restraint and “de-escalate the situation immediately”.
She said: “The tensions in the Azov Sea and Kerch strait have increased dangerously today, after an incident this morning between Russian and Ukrainian naval vessels as the latter were attempting to pass through the Kerch strait as well as subsequent developments, including the closure of the strait for traffic by Russian authorities and reported seizures of Ukrainian vessels and shots being fired at them. We expect Russia to restore freedom of passage at the Kerch strait and urge all to act with utmost restraint to de-escalate the situation immediately.
“The EU does not and will not recognise the illegal annexation of the Crimean peninsula by Russia.”
Donald Trump has not responded to the incident, but the US president posted on Twitter as reports of the incident emerged that the EU had failed to live up to its commitment to Nato and Europe should “pay their fair share for military protection”.
Nato called on Russia to ensure unhindered access to Ukrainian ports in the Azov Sea in accordance with international law, calling for calm on both sides.
Its spokesperson Oana Lungescu said: “Nato is closely monitoring developments in the Azov Sea and the Kerch strait, and we are in contact with the Ukrainian authorities. We call for restraint and de-escalation.”
A correspondent for Rossiya-24, a Russian state-controlled TV channel, reporting from the area of the Kerch strait bridge said that Russia’s tactic with the cargo ship had completely blocked passage under the bridge and that Russian military aircraft were circling overhead.
The latest incidents come after the Ukrainian navy complained in September of “acts of provocation” by Russian border guards against its ships taking the same route.
Ukraine has recently increased the number of its naval vessels and border guard patrols in the Sea of Azov, in response to an increase of checks on commercial shipping by Russia.
Kiev and the west have accused Moscow of deliberately blocking ships from accessing Mariupol, which has vital access to heavy industry in the region. Mariupol is situated near to the area of eastern Ukraine controlled by Russian-backed separatists in a conflict that has caused at least 10,000 deaths since 2014.
