U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley has criticized Russia’s seizure of Ukrainian naval vessels, calling it an “outrageous violation of sovereign Ukrainian territory.”
Speaking at an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council on Nov. 26, Haley said the move was “another reckless Russian escalation” in the years-long war. Haley noted that she spoke to President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo before making the statement.
“Sunday’s outrageous violation of sovereign Ukrainian territory is part of a pattern of Russian behavior that includes the purported annexation of Crimea and abuses against countless Ukrainians in Crimea, as well as stoking conflict that has taken the lives of more than 10,000 people in eastern Ukraine. And it shows no sign of decreasing,” Haley said.
According to Ukraine, Russian military boats fired at a pair of Ukrainian navy vessels and a tugboat on Nov. 25. The Russians rammed at least one vessel and wounded several Ukrainian crew members. Ukraine claims six people were wounded; Russia reported three injuries. The seized Ukrainian boats were towed to a nearby port.
The skirmish transpired in the strategically significant Kerch Strait, where a Kremlin-built bridge connects Russia to the southeastern portion of Ukraine that’s occupied by Russia-backed forces.
Russia said the Ukrainian ships illegally crossed into Russian waters. Ukraine contends that its vessels followed international maritime rules.
Volodymyr Yelchenko, Ukraine’s ambassador to the U.N., told the officials at the emergency meeting that Russia orchestrated the incident. Yelchenko claims to have tapes of radio traffic that would prove his allegation.
“All hell broke loose,” Yelchenko said, adding that Moscow’s act of aggression breached several bilateral and international agreements.
Russia’s Deputy Ambassador Dmitry Polanski dismissed Ukraine’s claims and blamed the scuffle on Kiev’s aggression. A spokesman for Russia’s Federal Security Service, which oversees the coast guard, said that the Ukrainian boats breached Russia’s territorial waters, executed dangerous maneuvers, and failed to heed warnings. FSB plans to share the evidence, according to Dmitry Peskov, the spokesman for the Russian president.
“This is a very dangerous provocation, which requires particular attention and a special investigation,” Peskov said.
Ukrainian officials now believe that Russia may be preparing to seize more of Ukraine’s territory, according to Yelchenko. Poroshenko said he’s in possession of intelligence suggesting a serious threat of a land-based operation against Ukraine by Russia.
“I have a document of intelligence in my hands. ... Here on several pages is a detailed description of all the forces of the enemy located at a distance of literally several dozens of kilometers from our border. Ready at any moment for an immediate invasion of Ukraine,” he said.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko ordered 30 days of martial law in response to the incident. Poroshenko wrote on Twitter that he declined to impose martial law for 60 days to avoid affecting residential election campaigns. Ukraine’s constitution calls for an election on March 31, 2019.
Interfax news agency quoted Russia’s human-rights commissioner, Tatyana Moskalkova, as saying Nov. 26 that 24 Ukrainian sailors were being detained. Three of the sailors were wounded but weren’t in serious condition and were recovering in a hospital.
A Reuters witness in Kerch, a Crimean port, said the Ukrainian vessels were being held there on Nov. 26.
Domestic politics in Moscow and Kiev add to the combustibility of the situation. Poroshenko faces a tough reelection fight early next year, with opinion polls showing him trailing his opponents.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has also seen his high approval rating fall because of unpopular domestic policies. In the past, successful military action beyond Russia’s borders has buoyed his popularity.
The governments of several European nations, including the United Kingdom and Germany, also condemned the seizure of the ships and demanded that Russia free the vessels and guarantee safe passage through the strait.
