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Russian diplomat does not rule out West's help in planning Kerch Strait provocation

"I don't have any doubts that some of our Western partners knew about it or even participated in planning it," Russian Foreign Ministry's official spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said
Russian Foreign Ministry's official spokeswoman Maria Zakharova Alexander Shcherbak/TASS
Russian Foreign Ministry's official spokeswoman Maria Zakharova
© Alexander Shcherbak/TASS

MOSCOW, November 28. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Ministry's official spokeswoman Maria Zakharova does not rule out that some Western countries may have participated in planning the November 25 events in the Kerch Strait, when three Ukrainian Navy's warships violated the rules of passage through Russia's territorial waters.

"This is a deliberate provocation. I don't have any doubts that some of our Western partners knew about it or even participated in planning it. This is why all of this is not accidental," Zakharova told Russia's Channel One. "The assessments that we hear and the informational campaign underway right now, only prove it," she added.

On November 25 three warships of the Ukrainian Navy violated the rules of passage through Russia's territorial waters while en route from the Black Sea to the Azov Sea. The Russian side had to use weapons to compel the ships to stop. Three Ukrainian servicemen were lightly wounded. They received medical assistance. The ships were detained and escorted to the port of Kerch. A criminal case was initiated on border violation charges.

The Russian side described the incident as a provocation. The Ukrainian authorities declared martial law. The EU and NATO called for de-escalation of the situation.