International Court To Start Hearings On Kerch Strait Incident Thursday - Kiev

International Court to Start Hearings on Kerch Strait Incident Thursday - Kiev

The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea will start hearings on Ukrainian vessels detained in a Kerch Strait incident later this week, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said Monday

KIEV (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 18th November, 2019) The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea will start hearings on Ukrainian vessels detained in a Kerch Strait incident later this week, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said Monday.

In November 2018, three Ukrainian ships breached a Russian border, entered the temporarily closed Russian maritime area moving toward the Kerch Strait and refused to comply with the demands of the Russian authorities. The ships and crew were detained. Russian President Vladimir Putin has called the incident a provocation. The crew of the ships were transferred to Ukraine on September 7 as part of a simultaneous release of detainees.

"Despite the return of the seamen and the vessels, the argument continues, the court of arbitration has been put together, and the first hearings will be held in The Hague on November 21 and November 22 to determine further procedural matters," the press service of the ministry said.