Poland denies entry to Russian sailing ship because of Crimean cadets on board
On Friday, the press secretary of the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ewa Suwara, announced that the Polish government denied entry into its territorial waters to the Russian sailing ship Sedov carrying cadets from the city 0f Kerch, reports the Polish Press Agency.
“The prime minister’s decision is negative. We believe that allowing the ship to enter Poland’s territorial waters would contradict the policy of respecting the territorial integrity of Ukraine and the non-recognition of the annexation of Crimea,” the Polish Press Agency quoted the press secretary.
The Polish Foreign Ministry also reminded about the demand for Russia to release the Ukrainian sailors captured in November 2018 in the Kerch Strait.
Earlier, the Russian sailing ship Sedov was banned from entering Estonia’s territorial waters due to the presence of cadets from the Kerch State Marine Technological University on board.
The Russian Embassy in Estonia announced that it considers the ban for Russian training ship Sedov to enter the country's territorial waters, which was scheduled for April 13-14 this year, as an “unfriendly act of the Estonian authorities, carried out on the eve of President Kersti Kaljulaid’s upcoming trip to Moscow”.
The internationally recognized Ukrainian territory of Crimea was annexed by the Russian Federation in March of 2014 in the wake of the Ukrainian revolution. The Kremlin has faced international condemnation for its annexation of the Peninsula, leading many western countries to impose economic sanctions against Russia. In the United Nations, only Afghanistan, North Korea, Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Syria recognize Crimea as a legitimate federal subject of Russia.