UNITED NATIONS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 27th November, 2018) All 23 Ukrainian crew members and three ships captured by Russia in the Kerch Strait should be freed promptly, Ukrainian Ambassador to the United Nations Volodymyr Yelchenko said to the Security Council on Monday.
On Sunday, three Ukrainian naval ships illegally entered the temporarily closed area of the Russian territorial waters and violated international law while moving from the Black Sea into the Azov Sea, according to Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB).
"Ukraine demands Russia to immediately release 23 captured Ukrainian soldiers and all three Ukrainian ships," Yelchenko said. "We also call on the international community to implement a new set of sanctions aimed at addressing the situation in the region, including against the Russia's Azov ports."
Yelchenko also called upon Russia to guarantee the freedom of navigation in the regions of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.
The FSB said it intercepted the ships after they failed to respond to warnings and made dangerous maneuvers, prompting the agency to detain the vessels along with the crew members on board.
The Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council decided to introduce martial law on the country's territory after the capture of the 23 crew members and the three ships by Russian. The martial law is now set to be approved by the Ukrainian parliament.
