Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has said Ukraine will not tolerate the illegal capture of its and foreign ships heading to Ukrainian ports.

“We will not tolerate the illegal capture of Ukrainian and foreign ships moving toward Ukrainian ports, including Mariupol, aimed to stop the mining and smelting complex operating in [Ukrainian-controlled part of] Donbas,” the President told a Svoboda Slova [Freedom of Speech] talk show on Ukraine’s ICTV channel, answering a question on the situation in the Kerch Strait and the Sea of Azov, where Russians have drastically increased the number of inspections of Ukrainian vessels, the presidential press service said.