The Ukrainian investigation claims that last November servicemen of FSB frontier troops of the Russian Federation acted contrary to the norms of the International Maritime Law and using weapons blocked the Ukrainian naval vessels during their passage through the Kerch-Enikalski Channel in the Kerch Strait by placing Neyma, a large cargo ship, under the Crimean Bridge.
The Ukrainian Security Department (SBU) is preparing a motion to be filed to the court of law for placing the tanker under arrest. Currently, the investigation is being conducted on the ship. All members of the crew have been interrogated and let to return to the Russian Federation.
As SBU spokesman reported, the investigation has established that the sailors who were present aboard the ship have not violated the norms of the International Maritime Law and the laws of Ukraine. And therefore there has been no reason to detain them any longer. Following Ukrainian legislation and in observing the rights and freedoms of the Russian sailors, all of them have been permitted to return home to their families.
SBU officials emphasized the fact that Ukraine is a State governed by the rule of law. It observes conscientiously the International Maritime Law and decisions of the UN International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea.
At the same time, the tanker has been recognized as the material evidence and the motion is to be filed soon at the court of law about its arrest.
In response to the detention of the Russian tanker in Ukraine, the Foreign Ministry of Russia has declared that it’s working to find out the circumstances around the detention in order “to take adequate measures”.
In the opinion of Ukrainian analysts, the detention of Neyma is a logical answer to Russia’s unwillingness to abide by the ruling of the International Maritime Court that has accused the Russian Federation of the illegal detention of the Ukrainian sailors and their vessels on November 25 of last year and demanded their immediate release.
Besides, analysts claim that it is the first anti-Russian operation of Volodymyr Zelensky who has undoubtedly sanctioned the detention of the Russian vessel.
On July 25, U.S. President Donald Trump called the Ukrainian President and congratulated him on the convincing victory of the party “Servant of the People” at the snap parliamentary election that took place on July 21.
According to the office of President Zelensky, Donald Trump expressed his confidence that the new Ukrainian power would be able to improve the international image of Ukraine and bring to completion the investigation of corruption cases which have been an impediment in relations between Ukraine and the United States.
The statement of the presidential office also reads that “the American President has confirmed the readiness of the American side to give Ukraine a comprehensive support in the implementation of the large-scale program of reforms in the country”.
For his part, Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Mr. Trump for “sustaining and increasing a sanction pressure on Russia”.
The Presidents have agreed to discuss important issues in more detail during a forthcoming visit of Zelensky to the United States.
