THE HAGUE, September 23. /TASS/. Accusations against Russia about the alleged violation of Ukraine's rights in the Black and Azov Seas, as well as the Kerch Strait, are groundless and hopeless, said Gennady Kuzmin, Ambassador-at-Large and Russia’s UN International Court of Justice envoy.

"Ukraine's accusations in this case are completely groundless and hopeless," the head of the Russian delegation said at the hearing in The Hague.

Ukraine initiated a dispute on this matter on September 16, 2016. An international tribunal was established by the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in the Hague to conduct the proceedings. According to the Ukrainian side, Russia violates Ukraine’s sovereign rights to use maritime zones and the continental shelf in the Black Sea, the Sea of Azov, and the Kerch Strait near Crimea, including the rights to natural resources. In regards to this, Kiev demands that Moscow cease violating Ukraine’s rights and compensate the damages incurred. The Russian side denies these accusations.

"Russia has great respect for the Law of the Sea and the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and attaches great importance to them," Kuzmin emphasized. "The USSR took an active part in the negotiations on the Convention and was one of its first signatories on December 10, 1982. Russia, as the USSR’s legal successor, remains a strict supporter of the Convention and its strong proponent in the international arena".