Russia sent diplomatic notes to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) and the Ukrainian Embassy in Moscow on the criminal proceeding against 24 Ukrainian sailors who were detained in November over illegally entering Russia waters, the Russian Foreign Ministry said
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 26th June, 2019) Russia sent diplomatic notes to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) and the Ukrainian Embassy in Moscow on the criminal proceeding against 24 Ukrainian sailors who were detained in November over illegally entering Russia waters, the Russian Foreign Ministry said."Relevant notes were sent by the Russian Foreign Ministry on June 25 to the tribunal and to the Ukrainian Embassy in Moscow. In particular, the notes draw attention to the fact that the criminal proceedings against 24 Ukrainian sailors continue, as well as to those opportunities, existing in the criminal procedure legislation of the Russian Federation, with respect to sailors and vessels, which may be invoked at this stage by the Ukrainian side in order to release them," the ministry said.
The Russian Foreign Ministry reiterated its position that the tribunal did not have jurisdiction over the incident.
"In the notes, Russia maintains its position that the procedures for the settlement of the conflict, outlined by the UN Convention on the Law of Sea, are not applicable in this situation. The tribunal has established that it does not determine the issue of jurisdiction within the framework of further [criminal] proceedings [against the sailors]," the ministry said.
In November 2018, Ukraine's Berdyansk and Nikopol gunboats, and the Yany Kapu tugboat illegally crossed the Russian maritime border as they sailed toward the Kerch Strait, the entrance to the Sea of Azov. Russia seized the Ukrainian vessels and detained crew members after they failed to respond to a demand to stop. After the incident, a criminal case on illegal border crossing was opened in Russia.
In late May, the Hamburg-based ITLOS demanded Moscow to free the Ukrainian sailors and warships. However, the tribunal did not ask for canceling criminal procedures for 24 detained sailors.
Russia did not take part in the ITLOS hearings, arguing that this tribunal dues not have jurisdiction to review Ukraine's claims around its naval ships. The Russian Foreign Ministry has also said that statements made by both Russia and Ukraine, when signing and ratifying the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, rule out the possibility of using the convention's dispute resolution procedures regarding the incident.
