Ukraine claims Russia opened fire, seized ships near Crimea
Ukraine's navy said Russia seized three of its naval ships off the coast of Russia-annexed Crimea on Sunday after opening fire on them and wounding several sailors, raising fears of a military escalation.
The unprecedented incident occurred in the Kerch Strait, a narrow waterway that gives access to the Sea of Azov that is used by Ukraine and Russia.
Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) said in a statement early on Monday that its border patrol boats had seized the Ukrainian naval vessels in the Black Sea and used weapons to force them to stop, Russian news agencies reported.
The FSB said it had been forced to act because the ships had illegally entered its territorial waters.
Three Ukrainian sailors had been wounded in the incident and were getting medical care. Their lives were not in danger, said the statement.
Ukraine denied its ships had done anything wrong and accused Russia of military aggression.
Ukraine's foreign ministry said it considered "these aggressive actions" a violation of international law that would be met with "an international and diplomatic legal response."
Crimean leader Sergei Aksyonov wrote on Facebook that he "was sure the western masters of the Kiev regime are behind this act of provocation."
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko held a meeting with his top military and security chiefs amid talks of imposing martial law.
The crisis began earlier on Sunday after Russia stopped the three Ukrainian ships from entering the Sea of Azov by placing a cargo ship beneath the bridge, Reuters reported.
Witnesses said Russia backed its blockade with at least two Sukhoi Su-25 warplanes. Russian state TV said Russian combat helicopters had been deployed in the area.
The European Union in a statement said it expected Russia to restore freedom of passage via the Kerch Strait and urged both sides to act with utmost restraint to de-escalate the situation. A NATO spokesperson has also issued a similar appeal to both sides.
(Top image: Russian fighter jets fly over a bridge connecting the Russian mainland with the Crimean Peninsula as a cargo ship is parked beneath it in the Black Sea, November 25, 2018.)
