The EU expects Russia to comply with the order of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea of May 25 and release 24 illegally captured Ukrainian sailors without delay.

The EU Permanent Representation to the OSCE reported this on Twitter on Thursday.

"The EU expects Russia to comply without delay with the 25 May order of ITLOS regarding the 25 November 2018 incident near the Kerch Strait and to release the detained Ukrainian servicemen and vessels unconditionally and without delay," the report says.

As Ukrinform reported, on May 25, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea ordered Russia to immediately release Ukrainian military ships and return them to the custody of Ukraine and to immediately release 24 captured sailors.

On November 25, 2018, Russian border guards fired on and seized three Ukrainian Navy ships, the Berdyansk, the Nikopol, and the Yani Kapu, heading from Odesa to Mariupol, near the Kerch Strait. In addition, their crewmembers, 24 Ukrainian sailors, were captured. Three of them were wounded.

A Russian-controlled court in the occupied Crimea arrested all the detained Ukrainian sailors on charges of alleged illegal border crossing. They are held in a remand prison in Moscow now.

ish