Ukraine files lawsuit against Russia in International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea
The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has handed over to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea a memorandum with claims to Russia for the incident in the Kerch Strait.
"Memorandum of Ukraine to the Arbitration Tribunal in The Hague with evidence in the case of the seizure of our sailors and ships in the Black Sea in November 2018. Signed and sent. Russia must answer for violations of international law," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said in a statement. Kyiv estimates that the damage from the detention of ships is several million dollars.
Russia is accused of seizing two boats and a tugboat of the Ukrainian Navy and 24 sailors. The incident took place last November in the Kerch Strait. Ship crew were held for almost a year in a Moscow detention center on charges of illegally crossing the Russian border. The sailors returned home during an exchange of prisoners between Russia and Ukraine last September. Later, at the request of the UN International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, Russia returned the withheld vessels. At the same time, according to the Ukrainian authorities, some of the equipment was missing on the ships.