Berlin considers that Moscow must comply with the decision of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea and release 24 illegally captured Ukrainian sailors.

German Federal Foreign Office Spokesperson Maria Adebahr stated this at a briefing on Wednesday, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"We again call on Russia to enforce the order. Our position is known to the Russian side. We clearly declare it at all meetings," the spokesperson said.

At the same time, she noted that there had been no special meetings, in particular, with Russian diplomats regarding this issue.

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.

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