Russian Foreign Ministry Slams Ukrainian Vessel's Action in Strait of Kerch as Provocation

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The actions of the Ukrainian Navy's command ship "Donbass" that moved toward the Kerch Strait are nothing but provocation, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Friday.

"In my opinion, everyone has already understood everything a long time ago, based on the statements made by the Russian law enforcement structures. In my opinion, this is obvious, this is another provocation," Zakharova told the Channel One broadcaster, adding that this case "is not unique ... it is a complex of provocative actions that are carried out around our borders."

According to Konstantin Gavrilov, who heads the Russian delegation at the arms control negotiations in Vienna, Ukraine's provocations, such as the incident in the Sea of Azov, complicate the situation in the region.

"Unfortunately, in addition to yesterday's provocation and earlier, Ukraine made attempts to undermine the existing regime, which, first of all, reduces the channel's throughput capacity and causes economic damage to ship carriers. As time has shown, this does not bring any political dividends but only complicates the already difficult situation in the region," Gavrilov said.

Kiev needs to abandon the tactics of making minor violations, he said, noting that behind these provocations, there is a task to postpone the solution of really difficult issues.

Russia's Federal Security Service said late on Thursday that the Ukrainian Navy's command ship "Donbass" moved toward the Kerch Strait, ignoring demands to change the course. Later, the ship turned back, still ignoring any requests.

The current procedure for the passage of the Kerch-Yenikalsky Canal by ships is effective and allows for high throughput capacity. A request is sent for the passage, after which the vessel is inspected, which takes about 40-45 minutes, while this procedure is valid for all vessels, including Russian and Ukrainian, the diplomat.