The commander of the Ukrainian Navy, Igor Voronchenko, announced his intention to push Turkey to close the Bosphorus and Dardanelles for the Russian Navy ships.

“In accordance with the norms of the Montreux Convention, namely paragraph 19, we will try to request the closure of the Bosphorus in the Turkish Republic so that the Russians know how to violate international law,” Voronchenko said, expressing confidence that the world community should condemn “aggression »Russia in the Kerch Strait.

The Montreux Convention on the Status of the Straits was adopted in Switzerland in 1936. The document suggests a number of restrictions on the passage of military vessels in the Black Sea. However, in peacetime, ships of all powers, including combat, have the right to freely cross the straits.

Turkey can close the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles only in wartime. In particular, Ankara has the right not to let foreign ships if it is in danger. Turkey can also meet the requests of one of the warring parties, which was the "victim of an attack," and close the straits for the fleet of the aggressor.

“The Commander of the Ukrainian Navy is probably not familiar with international legal documents. Ukraine can ask Turkey for anything, but Ankara has no right to close the straits, since Moscow and Kiev are not at war both de jure and de facto, ”said the candidate of legal sciences, associate professor of the department in an interview with RT. European Law MGIMO Nicholas Topornin.

The head of the political direction of the Center for the Study of Modern Turkey, Yuri Mavashev, is confident that Ankara will not close the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles, regardless of how Russian-Ukrainian relations develop. According to him, Ankara has no reason to sacrifice mutually beneficial cooperation with Moscow.

  • Teachings of the Navy of Ukraine and the USA
  • © Press Service of the Ukrainian Navy

“Ankara missed the ships of the Navy even after the so-called“ aircraft crisis ”(a blow to the Russian Su-24M bomber on November 24, 2015. - RT ). Why would Turkey suddenly take such a risk now, playing up to Ukraine? Yes, Ankara and Kiev have quite friendly relations. At the official level, the Turks will not criticize Ukraine, but also support it in any way - also, ”said Mavashev in an interview with RT.

The expert also recalled that Russia and Turkey are connected by large mutually beneficial defense projects - the supply of S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems, and energy - the construction of the Turkish Stream. According to Mavashev, the country's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, “knows how to count money and evaluate risks.”

“Alarmist cries”

On November 25, FSB Coast Guard ships blocked the Berdyansk and Nikopol armored boats in the Kerch Strait, as well as the Yana Kapu sea tug of the Ukrainian Navy for violating the Russian state border and disobeying legal requirements from Russian border guards.

The vessels of the neighboring state were sent from Odessa to the Sea of ​​Azov. At the same time, the grouping of ships of the Ukrainian Navy did not submit a relevant application and entered the territorial waters of the Russian Federation.

Russian border guards demanded that the Ukrainian ships immediately stop. However, instead of this, the naval forces began dangerous maneuvers. As a result, the FSB “Emerald” boat of a 30-mm cannon opened fire on the Berdyansk, and the Yana Kapu was stopped after a ram by another Russian ship. On the morning of November 26, Ukrainian ships were brought to the port of Kerch for “further investigation”.

According to the documents found by the FSB officers, the Ukrainian seamen were given the task of making the transition in “secretive order”. At the same time, the handwritten summary of the rules for crossing the canal found among the documents shows that the sailors were aware of the order of its passage.

However, the Ukrainian side took the actions of the Russian coast guard as an act of aggression. According to Kiev, obstructing the passage of the naval forces grouping and its subsequent “capture”, accompanied by the “capture” of seamen, is a violation of the principles of international maritime law and the Treaty with the Russian Federation “On Cooperation in the Use of the Sea of ​​Azov and the Kerch Strait of December 24, 2003”.

November 26, the Verkhovna Rada approved the decree of the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko on the introduction of martial law. This regime, which provides for the restriction of certain rights and freedoms of citizens, extends to 10 regions of Ukraine, bordering Russia and Transnistria. It will be valid for 30 days.

As Poroshenko said, Ukrainian troops will be ready to repel a possible invasion of the Russian armed forces on the coast of the Azov Sea, as well as in the Donetsk and Zaporozhye regions. Addressing veterans of the ATO, the president asked them to "be prepared." He stressed that in the shortest possible time all necessary measures should be taken to "stop the enemy and protect our state."

Commenting on the actions of Poroshenko, Mykola Topornin explained that the martial law cannot act as evidence of the "aggression" of Russia or of any other foreign troops. According to him, signs of an attack of one state on another should be recorded in international documents. In addition, belligerent states cannot have full-fledged diplomatic and consular relations.

“Of course, now wars are not formally declared. On the example of Yugoslavia and Libya, we see that the aggressor does not notify the victim about the attack through diplomatic channels. However, signs of war are almost always reflected in acts of international institutions. Kiev constantly talks about the aggression of Russia, however, it continues to conduct trade and economic cooperation with it and does not close its diplomatic establishments. Therefore, all the alarmist cries of Kiev are a bluff, which has not stopped since 2014, ”stated Topornin.

NATO reaction

On November 29, in an interview with the German newspaper Bild, Poroshenko called on NATO member countries to deploy naval forces in the Sea of ​​Azov. The President of Ukraine believes that the presence of the ships of the North Atlantic Alliance will be the most effective measure to "ensure security." The day before, the head of state asked the military bloc to send ships to the Black Sea. In particular, he is counting on the help of Germany.

Commenting on Poroshenko’s appeals, the press secretary of the North Atlantic Alliance, Oana Lungesku, noted that she sees no point in building up the military presence of the bloc in the Black Sea. According to her, the Navy of the NATO member countries this year spent 120 days in the Black Sea, which is 40 days more than in 2017.

  • The teachings of the Marine Corps of Ukraine
  • © Press Service of the Ukrainian Navy

“Poroshenko is trying to get at least some benefit from the incident in the Kerch Strait. But how can NATO ships be in the Sea of ​​Azov? The alliance is well aware that the Ukrainian president is pushing them into a clash with Russia. After all, the only way to the Azov lies under the arch of the Crimean Bridge. Only small boats and inflatable boats can be transferred by land, ”said military analyst Yury Knutov in an interview with RT.

The expert is convinced that the West will limit itself to expressing "deep concern" and will not provide Ukraine with military support. At the same time, Knutov believes that the United States can take advantage of another round of tension in relations between Moscow and Kiev in order to increase the frequency of visits to the Black Sea.

“Washington is not interested in Ukraine having a real opportunity to resist Russia. Kiev will not receive any money or free ships. Ukraine for Americans is just an instrument of irritation in Moscow. The incident in the Kerch Strait is an eloquent proof that the West has no desire to intervene in any way for its eastern “partner,” Knutov summarized.