CRIMEA — Tensions between Russia and Ukraine rise after a naval confrontation near the Kerch Strait.
Two Ukrainian gunboats and a tug boat departed from the Black Sea port of Odessa and headed Mariupol, a coastal city on the north coast of the Sea of Azov, on the morning of sunday November 25th.
According to BBC, as the boats approached the Kerch Strait they were intercepted by Russian boats. Russian coast guards fired at the Ukrainian vessels, ramming one of its ships against a Ukrainian boat.
Russian fighter jets and helicopters patrolled the area around the strait as the boats attempted to approach the channel. They also blocked the bridge with a tanker.
Ukrainian authorities claim six crew members were injured during the encounter while Russian authorities maintain only of the sailors suffered injuries.
The BBC reports, Russian President Vladimir Putin told German Chancellor Angela Merkel that the Ukrainian navy had 'ignored the rules of peaceful passage in the territorial sea of the Russian Federation'.
According to AP, that Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has announced martial law in regions bordering Russia, Belarus, and the separatist region of Trans-Dniester.
