KIEV, July 24. /TASS/. Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada (parliament) human rights ombudswoman Lyudmila Denisova has clarified her earlier statement about the release of Ukrainian sailors kept in custody in Russia, saying the issue is being negotiated.

"I would like to clarify information about the 24 captive sailors. I know that talks are underway to release the sailors as part of the implementation of the ruling of the International Tribunal of the Law of the Sea. I hope all necessary documents will be submitted and taken account of," she wrote on Facebook.

The human rights advocate recalled that she had addressed the Russian Foreign Ministry with a motion of granting her personal guarantees concerning the 24 Ukrainian sailors who are kept at Moscow’s Lefortovo detention facility.

Earlier on Wednesday, Ukraine’s Public Television cited Denisova as saying that agreements had been reached to return the sailors to Ukraine. However, Russian human rights ombudswoman Tatiana Moskalkova refuted Denisova’s words about such agreements.

On November 25, 2018, three Ukrainian warships violated the procedure of passing through Russia’s territorial waters from the Black Sea to the Sea of Azov. Russian border guards had to use weapons to stop the ships. The ships with 24 crew aboard were detained. The sailors are charged with violating Russia’s state border. A criminal case was opened. On July 17, Moscow’s Lefortovo District Court extended the arrest term for all the 24 sailors till October 24.