President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko called the "war" events in the Kerch Strait on November 25. The Ukrainian leader also said that the Russian border guards acted "illegally" when they detained Ukrainian ships that violated the borders of the Russian Federation.

“Mr. Putin, this is aggression. Mr Putin, this is war. This is not a joke, not an incident and not a crisis, ”he said, addressing the Russian president on the American television channel Fox News.

Answering the question of what support Ukraine expects from Western countries, Poroshenko explained that Kiev needs the presence of NATO forces in the Black Sea in order to prevent the “occupation” of these waters, which, he said, is allegedly being held by Russia.

Recall, Moscow has repeatedly stressed that the actions of the Russian border guards during the Kerch incident were absolutely justified, since the Ukrainian ships crossed the border of Russia and did not respond to the calls of the frontier service to stop.

  • The Ukrainian ship is heading to the Black Sea through the Bosphorus.
  • Reuters
  • © Osman Orsal

Russian reaction

In the Kremlin, they were critical of Poroshenko’s statement about a “war” with Russia. Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted that Moscow does not agree with the assessment of the incident in the Kerch Strait, given by the Ukrainian leader.

“This is a provocation from the Ukrainian side and a gross violation of the state border of the Russian Federation with all the ensuing consequences for violators and the violating party,” said Peskov.

In Crimea, Poroshenko’s statements about the “war” were called unlawful. Vice Prime Minister of Crimea Dmitry Polonsky noted that the war should rather be called the actions of the Kiev authorities in relation to the citizens of the unrecognized LC and the DPR.

“This is nonsense, which has once again turned the so-called president of the Ukrainian state out of itself. The only war and the only aggression that exists in Ukraine today is the war and aggression of the current Ukrainian authorities in relation to their own people. This is a civil war in the Donbas, it is an economic war against its own people, which is associated with the continuation of the looting of the Ukrainian state. This is the only and main threat that exists in Ukraine, ”Polonsky stressed.

In pursuit of a rating and sweeping traces

Olga Kovitidi, a member of the Council of the Federation Committee on Defense and Security, for his part, believes that the Ukrainian president uses unacceptable rhetoric when making statements about “war”. However, this is just another wrongful act that fits into the general nature of his policy, Kovitidi said.

"His decision on the imposition of martial law, provocation of an international military conflict in the Kerch Strait, prevented by Russian border guards, violation of human rights in Donbass, is in flagrant conflict with the UN Charter, the resolution establishing that UN member states should refrain from the threat of force and its use", - Kovitidi noted in a conversation with RT.

In fact, behind his words there is only a desire to improve his rating on the eve of the presidential elections scheduled for March 2019, the senator said. In her opinion, Poroshenko is trying to "pull the emergency stop in order to maintain power."

The State Duma notes that the head of the Ukrainian state is trying to divert the attention of potential voters from problems within society, which he did not manage to solve, to external ones, in particular to relations with Russia. This opinion is shared by the State Duma deputy from Sevastopol Dmitry Belik.

“The loud headline“ War ”, as Poroshenko’s idea, should block other headlines:“ The Ukrainian president is driving his citizens into communal slavery by the IMF team ”,“ Corruption surrounded by Poroshenko destroys Ukraine ”,“ Poroshenko has achieved tomos for the Ukrainian church only on paper ” . There are hundreds of such headlines in the Ukrainian media every day, and no one doubts who is really to blame for what is happening in Ukraine, ”the deputy explained.

In addition, Belik added that it is illegal to call the legal arrest of border trespassers "war."

But you shouldn't be too serious about Poroshenko’s words, because quite a lot of such loud words have already been said, experts assure.

“He has been declaring war since the spring of 2014. He has intrusive ads syndrome. Petr Alekseevich is very often repeated in various directions. This should not surprise anyone, ”said RT political analyst and economist Alexander Dudchak.

Recall, Kiev has repeatedly stated the alleged Russian aggression, warning that if the West does not support Ukraine, Russia will attack the Baltic States. Poroshenko also claims that Moscow supports representatives of the LC and the DPR, although the Kremlin’s position is widely known: Russia is not a party to the conflict in the east of Ukraine. The current government continues to assure everyone that the Crimea is occupied, although the residents of the peninsula themselves voted for reunification with Russia. So, none of the accusations of Kiev has not yet been confirmed, as well as the declaration of "war" in the Kerch Strait.

On November 25, three ships of the Ukrainian Navy — the Berdyansk, the Nikopol, and the Yana Kapu — violated the border of Russia, entered the temporarily closed water area of ​​the territorial sea of ​​the Russian Federation. They conducted several dangerous maneuvers and did not submit to the demands of the Russian border guards. As a result, 24 Ukrainian sailors were detained, a criminal case was opened about the illegal crossing of the state border of Russia.