MOSCOW, November 26. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin received information about the developments in the Kerch Strait in the real-time mode, Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov said on Monday.

He said that the president has been receiving real-time information about the incident from the very beginning.

"It was a serious provocation, so, naturally, entire information [about the incident] was reported [to Putin] both yesterday and today," he said. "The president was informed when Ukrainian warships appeared in neutral waters near Crimea. Since that very moment, the president has been informed about the developments in real-time mode."

Putin continues to receive information about the incident with Ukrainian warships in the Kerch Strait.

"The Russian president works in Moscow. His today’s schedule has primarily domestic meetings. Naturally, he continues to receive information about yesterday’s incident, yesterday’s provocation [involving Ukrainian warships in Russia’s territorial waters]," he said.

"The president was informed when Ukrainian warships appeared in neutral waters near Crimea. Since that very moment, the president has been informed about the developments in real-time mode," Peskov stressed.

"Russian border guards acted in strict compliance with the emergency plan of action to protect the state border," he said.

According to the spokesman, it was not the president’s decision to detain the Ukrainian ships. In his words, the actions of Russian border guards are to be interpreted as "necessary actions to suppress illegal crossing of the Russian border."

"Border guards have a certain scenario for such cases and they are guided by it in their actions," he explained.

Kerch Strait incident

In violation of the rules of passage via Russia’s territorial sea and the Kerch Strait, three warships of the Ukrainian Navy crossed Russia’s state border on November 25. 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.

Meanwhile the Ukrainian authorities have come up with an initiative to declare martial law. The European Union and NATO, in turn, have called for de-escalation of the situation.