Contents tagged with Russia

  • Ukraine informs International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea about Russia's actions in the Sea of Azov

    The press service of the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that Ukraine has notified the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, which considers the lawsuit against Russia regarding its actions in the Sea of Azov, about the detention of Ukrainian navy ships and their crew.

    The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted that recent events, "including the attack and seizure of Ukrainian ships, show that this is a deliberate and purposeful escalation of conflict by the …

  • Jehovah’s Witnesses accuse Russia of human rights violations

    The Jehovah’s Witnesses organization has filed 37 statements in European courts concerning human rights violations against members of their religion in Russia and the Crimea.

    This statistic was reported by Calisto Walker, a representative of the Jehovah’s Witnesses head office in New York, in a comment to Krym.Realii TV.

    According to Walker, the Jehovah’s Witnesses HQ in New York is convinced that, despite criminal persecution in Russia and Crimea, adherents will continue to preach and to …

  • Putin calls the seizure of Ukrainian ships in Kerch Strait a 'small incident'

    Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Ukraine of the armed clash near the Kerch Strait on November 25, 2018, Interfax reported.

    “As for the incident in the Black Sea, this was indeed a provocation organized by the current [Ukrainian] government, including the current president ahead of the presidential elections which will be held in Ukraine next March,” Putin said at the "Russia Calling!" investment forum.

     “A small incident in the Black Sea and martial law was introduced. It is obviously …

  • Crimean residents collect money for detained Ukrainian sailors

    Approximately 140 thousand rubles ($2,110 USD) were collected in the Crimea in support of the Ukrainian military sailors who were captured by the Russian FSB in the Kerch Strait, said Nariman Jelyal, an activist of the Crimean Tatar National Movement, on air with Radio Krym Realii.

    He noted that after the reports appeard about the detention of Ukrainian sailors and the fact that they were “not allowed to collect their personal belongings from the ships”, many people started speaking about the …

  • US Representative for Ukraine Volker calls for additional pressure on Russia

    In light of the escalation of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the US calls on Europeans to make sure that the existing sanctions are being implemented. A statement to this effect was made by US Special Representative for Ukraine Kurt Volker in an interview with Deutsche Welle.

    “Europe must take a careful look at the implementation of the sanctions already in force. At present there are severe European sanctions in force against Crimea. But how strictly are they actually being applied?” …

  • Erdogan speaks with Putin after the conversation with Ukrainian President Poroshenko

    President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin during which the parties discussed the situation in the Black Sea region, stated the Kremlin’s website. Turkey initiated the talks.

    The Kremlin stated that Erdogan and Putin exchanged their views regarding the incident in the Kerch Strait where Russia captured three Ukrainian ships and twenty-four sailors. "In the context of the dangerous incident in the region of the Kerch Strait …

  • Kyiv: Russia has blocked Ukraine’s ports in the Sea of Azov

    As of November 28, the Ukrainian ports at Mariupol and Berdyansk in the Sea of Azov have effectively been blocked by Russia, with ships unable to arrive or depart.

    This was reported by Ukrainian Minister of Infrastructure Volodymyr Omelyan on Facebook.

    “According to operational information, 18 ships are waiting to enter the Sea of Azov: four heading for the Berdyansk port and 14 for the Mariupol port. There is also a queue waiting to leave the Sea of Azov to the Black Sea: three ships are …

  • Hungary refuses to extradite suspected Russian arms dealers to US

    Hungary refused to extradite to the US two Russian citizens suspected of arms dealing, the US State Department reported on Tuesday.

    The Russians in question are Vladimir Lyubishin Sr. and Vladimir Lyubishin Jr., who were sent by Hungary back to Russia, where it is “unclear if they will face trial”.

    “The United States is disappointed in the Hungarian government’s decision to extradite the Lyubishins to Russia,” the State Department spokesperson said, emphasizing that the decision is at odds …

  • US Representative for Ukraine Volker: Russia wants to control access to Mariupol

    The developments in the Sea of Azov this past weekend show that Russia intends to take sole control over access to Ukrainian ports, said Kurt Volker, the US State Department’s Special Representative for Ukraine, as reported by Ukrinform.

    “I think that this is a matter of access to Mariupol for Ukrainians. Russia is claiming the unilateral right to control this access, that’s the problem. This definitely doesn’t mean that Russia is going to undertake a new offensive on land,” the American …

  • Speaker of Ukrainian Parliament calls on NATO to increase its presence in the Black and Azov Seas

    During a meeting with Secretary General of NATO Jens Stoltenberg, the speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, Andriy Parubiy called on NATO member countries to increase the presence of NATO'S  ships and aircraft in the Black and Azov Seas. The Ukrainian politician said this was the only guarantee of security.

    After the meeting between Stoltenberg and Parubiy, NATO published a statement in which it again condemned the Kremlin’s actions. “There is no justification for Russia’s use of military force …