Russia confirms its ship blocked in Ukrainian port
The Russian tanker Mechanic Pogodin was blocked on arrival to the port of Kherson, the Russia’s Commissioner for Human Rights, Tatyana Moskalkova told TASS news agency.
"I had a second telephone conversation with an authorized representative of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. On my request, Lyudmila Denisova found that there 12 Russian sailors on board the tanker who did not leave the ship. They have food, water and medicines," said Moskalkova.
There are no administrative or criminal claims to sailors yet, informed Moskalkova.
"The court hearing regarding the arrest of the tanker and property located on it will be held on Monday," she said.
According to her, the seamen did not meet with the Russian consul.
On Friday, the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) found a ship flying the Russian flag in the trading port of Kherson. Its owner is on Ukraine’s sanction list.
On March 25, the vessel Nord, which left Kerch city, was stopped by the ship of maritime security of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, 27 kilometers from the Obytichna spit (Zaporizhia region).
After inspecting the Nord and documents, the Ukraine’s border guards detained the ship, accusing the crewmembers of "violating the procedure for leaving the temporarily occupied territory."
On June 19, the court returned the Russian passports to the crew of the Nord. At the same time, the lawyer of seamen noted that his clients cannot leave Ukraine, because there is no final court decision on the case.