Russia detains two Turkish vessels in the Azov Sea
On the night of July 3, Russia’s Federal Security Service Coast Guard (FSB) detained two vessels in the Sea of Azov on their way to Mariupol and back, the chief editor of the Black Sea News portal, Andrii Klymenko, reported on Facebook.
According to Klymenko, the first vessel was detained on July 2 at approximately 8:30 pm Moscow Time, at a distance of 12 nautical miles (22 km) south of the Berdyansk Spit. The vessel was a Turkish HALISDEMIR bulk carrier, en route from Mariupol to Türkeli, in Turkey.
The second vessel was detained on July 3 at approximately 12:30 am Moscow Time, at a distance of 11 nautical miles (20 km) south of the Berdyansk Spit.
“If the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry promptly adds these records to Ukraine’s ‘maritime’ claim submitted to the international court, then in a year or two they will be added to the list, and in five years it will be considered,"Klymenko added.
Since April 30, Russia has been stopping non-military ships from sailing to the Mariupol sea port every day, conducting crew checks.
In May, the FSB of Russia detained the Ukrainian fishing vessel YMK-0041 (its home port was in Ochakov) in the Black Sea for alleged illegal fishing of flounder to the west of Cape Tarkhankut. Five crew members were taken to the Crimea, and the ship’s captain, Victor Novitsky, was arrested. Russian authorities state that Novitsky faces up to 5 years of imprisonment.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs submitted a note of protest to Russia, and on May 7, Ukrainian Crimean Prosecutor’s office opened criminal proceedings based on the Ukrainian vessel’s detention and the illegal imprisonment of its crew members.