After years of delay, the U. Three more Island-class ships for Ukraine is planned. This is a good first step in rebuilding Ukrainian maritime capability after it lost many ships to Russia in , but more should be done. The right to self-defense does not stop at the shoreline. In addition, the U. Finally, the U. As long as an invitation is made from Kyiv for the U. Some called for a U. Furthermore, the Commander of the U. Black III, should pay a visit to Mariupol.
This will better inform U. Security in the Sea of Azov is closely connected to security in the Black Sea. The views expressed in this article are his own. Featured Program view Economics and Energy Program. Program view Cyber Program. Featured Summer Cooperation agreement at the level of twinning agreement between Azov and the City of Bijeljina was signed in At the beginning of the 3 rd century B.
Several centuries later, the colony was destroyed, and the Goths practically annihilated it in the 3rd century. Until the 10 th century, when Slavs took control of this area, many peoples from western Asia, including the Khazar, ruled in this area. In , the Kipchaks took over and name this area Azaq lowlands , from which the current name of Azov was derived. During this period, the Venetian and Genoese merchants were granted permission to establish their colony called Tanu in the area.
In , the Turks became the new rulers and they built a mighty fortress of Azov. In summer of , the Don Cossacks took over the fortress from much stronger Turkish enemies and ruled in Azov for five years.
In summer , they repelled a long Turkish siege. When the Turks retreated in , the emperor decided to surrender the fortress in order to avoid the further conflict. The attack foreshadows a Russian bid to establish unilateral control over the Kerch Strait and perhaps blockade Ukrainian ports on the Sea of Azov.
Unfortunately, the United States and Europe have reacted weakly, largely limiting their responses to expressions of concern. The West should make clear that Russia will face concrete consequences if it does not release the Ukrainian naval vessels and crews and allow Ukraine free passage through the strait.
On the morning of November 25, three Ukrainian naval vessels—a tug and two small gunboats—approached the southern entrance to the Kerch Strait. After transiting the Black Sea from Odesa, they sought to pass through the strait to a Ukrainian port on the Sea of Azov, following a course taken by two other Ukrainian gunboats in September.
Although they were military vessels, the Ukrainian ships had a right of innocent passage. Moreover, a agreement between Ukraine and Russia states that Ukrainian- and Russian-flagged ships, both merchant ships and state non-commercial vessels, have a right to free navigation in the Strait of Kerch and Sea of Azov, which the sides consider the internal waters of Ukraine and Russia.
While Ukrainian and Russian accounts differ as to some details of what happened, their stories coincide on key points. Russian border patrol vessels intercepted the three Ukrainian ships in the southern approach to the strait, and the Russian vessel Don rammed the Ukrainian tug Yani Kapu.
In the process, it appears that the Russian vessel Izumrud rammed, or was rammed by, another Russian ship, possibly the Don. The three Ukrainian ships then maintained station for much of the day in Russian-controlled waters at the south entrance to the Kerch Strait. In the meantime, the Russians physically blocked the main passage through the strait, positioning a tanker under the central span of the Kerch bridge.
That evening, apparently having concluded that they would not be allowed passage into the Sea of Azov, the Ukrainian vessels turned south toward the Black Sea, exiting the approach to the strait. Russian border patrol vessels intercepted the Ukrainian ships, ordered them to halt and then opened fire, wounding several Ukrainian crewmen. The Russians boarded and seized the Ukrainian vessels.
Crucially, as Bellingcat has showed , Ukrainian and Russian data agree that the attack took place in the Black Sea more than 12 nautical miles off the coast of Russian-occupied Crimea—that is, in international waters. The Russian action is indefensible, particularly as the Ukrainian ships clearly were heading away from the Kerch Strait when attacked.
Since seizing Crimea in , the Russians have moved to tighten control over the Sea of Azov.
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