Russia refuses to participate in International Tribunal hearings on detained Ukrainian sailors Saturday, May 4, 2019 12:00:18 PM

Russia refuses to participate in the hearings of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, where Ukraine appealed with a demand to release Ukrainian sailors and three ships that were captured in November 2018, reported Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Olena Zerkal on Facebook.

"Russia stated that it wouldn't take part in hearings on temporary measures in the case of immunity of Ukrainian warships and members of their crews in the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea," Zerkal wrote.

According to her, Russia's refusal does not affect the legitimacy of the case. As planned, the hearing will take place on May 10 in Hamburg.

Zerkal pointed out that , in a similar fashion, in 2013, Russia also refused to participate in the case of the Greenpeace Arctic Sunrise ship. However, then the Russians still complied with the requirement of the international Tribunal and released the ship, presenting it as a gesture of goodwill.

She is assuming that the Ukrainian sailors will be released in the same way. "Even if Russia is consistent in presenting to its information consumers the decision to release Ukrainian sailors as a great favor to the newly elected President of Ukraine, the whole civilized world will understand that in fact, this is not a favor, but the execution of the Tribunal's decision," - said Zerkal.

On 25 November last year, Russia attacked and captured the Ukrainian military boats Berdyansk and Nikopol and the tugboat Yany Kapu in neutral waters. All 24 Ukrainians on board were accused of violating the Russian state border, arrested, and transferred from Kerch to Moscow. Ukraine considered this an act of military aggression, and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe recognized the captured sailors as prisoners of war.

US President Donald Trump canceled his planned meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin because of the Kerch Strait incident. US Special Representative for Ukraine Kurt Volker similarly called off his scheduled negotiation session with Russian Presidential Aide Vladislav Surkov.

Oleksandr Turchynov, Secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, said in December that Ukraine had invited its international partners to take part in a passage of naval ships from the Black Sea into the Sea of Azov through the Kerch Strait. The Russian media warned that this could “aggravate the situation”.

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