Cranes and ships are seen in the Azov Sea port of Berdyansk, Ukraine November 30, 2018. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich
Reuters: Ukraine to send warships back to Azov despite Russian capture
KIEV (Reuters) - Ukraine will send warships back to its Azov Sea ports again, a security official said on Wednesday, despite Russia’s seizure of three navy vessels and their crew in the area last month.
Ukraine and Russia have been at loggerheads since Moscow’s 2014 annexation of Crimea, with more than 10,000 people dead in battles between Ukrainian troops and Russian-backed separatists.
The dispute deepened when Moscow last month seized two small Ukrainian gunboats and one tugboat - with a combined crew of 24 - off Crimea, accusing them of illegally entering Russian waters as they headed from the Black Sea via the Kerch Strait.
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Update #1: Ukraine Navy vessels to try to pass through Kerch Strait with OSCE officials on board – Turchynov (UNIAN)
Update #2: Official: Ukraine plans another naval foray into Sea of Azov (ABC News/AP)
WNU Editor: The Kremlin has announced that they would view such a deployment as a provocation. In short, IMHO they will stop these vessels with force if need to .... Russia to deem next passage of Ukrainian ships through Kerch Strait ‘a provocation’ (TASS).
