MOSCOW, February 13. /TASS/. The Moscow city court has found legal the prolongation till April 24 of the arrest of another four Ukrainian sailors charged with the illegal crossing of the Russian border in the Kerch Strait. Sixteen of the 24 Ukrainian military servicemen involved remain in custody, the court told TASS.

"The ruling of the court of the first instance shall be left unchanged and the defense’s protests against the prolongation of the arrest of Denis Gritsenko, Andrei Drach, Mikhail Vlasyuk, Vyacheslav Zinchenko, Bogdan Nebylitsin, Yuri Bezyazychny, Yuri Budzylo, and Sergei Chulib, turned down," the source said.

The defense’s complaints were considered behind closed doors.

Earlier, the Moscow city court left under arrest eight sailors: Bogdan Golovash, Sergei Popov, Vladimir Tereshchenko, Andrei Shevchenko, Roman Mokryak, Yevgeny Semidotsky, Andrei Oprysko and Sergei Tsybizov.

The accused will remain under arrest till April 24.

Three Ukrainian naval ships on November 25 violated the rules of crossing Russia’s territorial waters on the way from the Black Sea to the Sea of Azov. Military force had to be used to make them stop. The ships were detained and taken to Kerch. A criminal case was opened over the violation of Russia’s state border.