MOSCOW, November 26. /TASS/. The border violation by Ukrainian navy ships is a provocation breaking numerous international agreements, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a press conference on Monday.
"It definitely was a provocation. Everything that needed to be said has already been said in statements issued by the Russian FSB Border Service, the Foreign Ministry and our spokeswoman. Key international law provisions have been violated, particularly maritime law and general international law, including the UN Charter, the 1982 Convention on the Law of the Sea and other legal documents, which demand that all states respect the sovereignty of other countries," Lavrov said.
According to him, the ships violating the border had put traffic security in the area in danger. "It was rather dangerous as they were maneuvering in a narrow strait. It created threats and risks for the normal movement of vessels in the area," the Russian top diplomat stressed.
At the same time, Lavrov pointed out that Moscow was not concerned about statements made by anti-Russian politicians who called for new sanctions over the Kerch Strait incident.
"We stopped being concerned about it a long time ago. Clearly, sanctions are always a bad thing but we have difficulties commenting on a policy calling for sanctions on a country whose sovereignty was violated in an incident such as yesterday’s. We can hardly be expected to influence people obsessed with only one idea - to search for new excuses to exert pressure on Russia," Lavrov said.
According to the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), on Sunday morning, three ships from the Ukrainian Navy - the Berdyansk, the Nikopol and the Yany Kapu - illegally crossed Russia’s border and tried to carry out some illegal actions in Russian territorial waters on Sunday night. They ignored legitimate demands to stop issued by vessels belonging to the FSB Border Service and the Black Sea Fleet and continued maneuvering dangerously. In order to stop the Ukrainian ships, weapons had to be used. The three vessels were detained in Russian territorial waters. Three Ukrainian military servicemen suffered light wounds and were provided with medical assistance.
A criminal investigation has been opened into the border incident. The FSB said that evidence proving Kiev’s plans to carry out a provocation in the Black Sea would soon be made public.