Romania Concerned By Ukraine-Russia Naval Tensions In Azov Sea, Kerch Strait - Ministry

Romania Concerned by Ukraine-Russia Naval Tensions in Azov Sea, Kerch Strait - Ministry

Romania is worried about the situation in the Azov Sea and the Kerch Strait amid Russian-Ukrainian naval tensions, the Romanian Foreign Ministry said on Monday.

CHISINAU (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 26th November, 2018) Romania is worried about the situation in the Azov Sea and the Kerch Strait amid Russian-Ukrainian naval tensions, the Romanian Foreign Ministry said on Monday.

"Deeply concerned about the developments in #AzovSea & #KerchStrait. Aggression & violation of international law undermine the security of the whole region. #RO fully supports the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine and its rights to use its territorial waters," the ministry said via its Twitter account.

On Sunday, three ships of the Ukrainian Navy, in violation of Articles 19 and 21 of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, crossed the Russian sea border, entered the temporarily closed area of the Russian territorial waters, and were moving from the Black Sea toward the Kerch Strait, according to the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB).

Another group of ships was heading for the Kerch Strait from the Azov Sea port of Berdyans'k.

The FSB later said that the same three ships of the Ukrainian Navy � Berdyansk, Nikopol and Yany Kapu � had been detained after violating Russian state border. The Ukrainian ships did not react to legal demands of the ships accompanying them and made dangerous maneuvers, the FSB noted.

Earlier on Monday, the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) decided to impose martial law on the territory of Ukraine for a period of 60 days. The chief of the Ukrainian General Staff has ordered to put the country's armed forces on full combat alert.