Boarding "conditional enemy": Ukraine held exercises to seize ships in the open sea

The Ukrainian Armed Forces conducted exercises to seize ships on the high seas, said the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

“Boarding groups of the maritime center fulfill seizure of ships on the high seas. During the seizure of the vessel, the groups were removed by air from different heights by the Kanat system and by water on high-speed boats, ”the General Staff's Facebook says.

After the seizure of the ship as part of the maneuvers, all those aboard were neutralized, the APU noted.

"In the holds and on the deck, a conditional enemy was detained and destroyed in the conditions of close combat," the report indicates.

Earlier, on May 11, the Deputy Minister of Defense for European Integration of Ukraine, Anatoly Petrenko, said that in response to Russia's actions in the Black and Azov Seas, Kiev increased its naval presence.

"To protect the economic activities of our ports in Berdyansk and Mariupol, a set of forces and means of the Ukrainian Navy has been deployed, which performs tasks that allow to eliminate threats that may occur from the sea direction," he said, "112 Ukraine."

So, on May 10, Ukraine and Great Britain conducted joint naval exercises in the Black Sea. They were attended by the British reconnaissance ship HMS Echo (H87) and the missile boat of the naval forces of Ukraine "Priluki".

“During the joint training, the Ukrainian rocket boat and the British ship completed tactical maneuvering tasks, air defense exercises, and also conducted communications training in accordance with NATO standards,” the Navy’s Facebook said.

And in April, the Sea Shield 2019 exercises with the participation of NATO, Ukraine and Georgia took place in the Black Sea. At the same time, planned maneuvers also began in the Southern Military District of Russia at that time.

"Planned combat training activities take place against the background of the joint naval forces of the NATO naval forces" Sea Shield - 2019 ", which served as a good help for the Black Sea Fleet and the air force and air defense forces of the Southern Military District to train combat missions in real conditions" , - declared in the Ministry of Defense of Russia.

• Canadian frigate FHH333 Toronto, moored at the berth of the Odessa Maritime Station
• RIA News

It should be noted that Ukraine has also repeatedly offered to terminate the Treaty with Russia on cooperation in the use of the Sea of ​​Azov and the Kerch Strait. In February of this year, this initiative was made by the head of the country's foreign ministry, Pavel Klimkin.

“We will do it. Then, when after the hearings, we will fully fix the legal position and resolve issues on international arbitration. If we had broken it before, Russia would use it to weaken our legal position, ”said Klimkin to the“ Censor.NET ”portal *.

At the same time, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia refuted the statements about the increase in the military contingent in the Sea of ​​Azov.

“Russia does not increase its military presence in the Azov Sea, there are no Russian naval bases there. The existing forces are used to guard the Crimean Bridge and ensure the safety of navigation, ”said Maria Zakharova, an official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, in December last year.

Incident in the Kerch Strait

The most acute issue of shipping in the Sea of ​​Azov arose in Ukraine after the incident in the Kerch Strait in November 2018. Then three ships of the Ukrainian Navy illegally crossed the Russian border and entered the territorial waters of the Russian Federation. The FSB border service tried to contact the violators, but they ignored the requests and did not change the course. As a result, the border guards were forced to use force and detain the ships and 22 sailors and two SBU officers on board. Currently, with respect to these Ukrainians being investigated. Moscow is convinced that the incident is a deliberate provocation from Kiev.

At the same time, Kiev’s charges of allegedly creating Russian interference with maritime traffic through the Kerch Strait in Moscow have been repeatedly refuted. So, in the Kremlin indicated that the Russian Federation strictly complies with the requirements of international law.

“The situation with the Kerch Strait and shipping is well known, and in accordance with international law, with international laws, Russia's position is very consistent, and it is also well known,” said Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov in early April.

Later, between the Russian and Ukrainian side, consultations were held in The Hague, during which the Russian Foreign Ministry pointed out the illegal actions of the Navy’s ships in the Kerch Strait during the incident.

“We again attracted the attention of the Ukrainian side to the rules and norms of Russian legislation and international law, which violated the ships during their stay in the territorial sea of ​​the Russian Federation and while trying to break through into the Kerch Strait. We noted at the same time that the procedure stipulated by Russian legislation for obtaining permission to pass through the Kerch Strait is almost identical to that which existed at the time when passage through the strait was regulated by the Ukrainian authorities, ”the Foreign Ministry’s April 24 comment says.

The Russian Foreign Ministry stated that Kiev “is moving away from a substantive discussion of the situation” and uses what has happened for propaganda purposes.

* “Tsenzor.NET” - an online resource whose materials are recognized as extremist and banned in Russia (decision of the Kirovsky District Court of Volgograd dated 09/04/2015).