On January 15-16, a court in Moscow, ordered all twenty-four Ukrainian sailors detained by Russia following the standoff in the Kerch Strait to be held in pre-trial detention until April 24, 2019. With this and other ongoing investigations, it appears that the Kremlin is using its judicial system as an instrument of hybrid warfare,...
Tag: Kerch Straight
Lavrov Announces Military Provocation Before the End of December
In his radio interview on December 17, 2018, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused President Poroshenko of preparing a military provocation on the border with Crimea by year’s end and has threatened Poroshenko with a tough response from the Russian side. Paradoxically, it seems that Lavrov may have set the time and place for Russia’s...
Task Force Update: Crisis in the Kerch Strait
Russia’s attacks on three Ukrainian naval ships in the Kerch Strait this past Sunday, blatant violations of international law, and an agreement between Ukraine and Russia over the Sea of Azov from 2003, all represent the Putin regime’s latest effort to destabilize and provoke Ukraine. A firm response from the international community condemning Russia’s...
Russian Aggression in the Kerch Strait Is Also Aimed at Ukraine’s Democracy
On November 25, Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, chaired by President Petro Poroshenko, unanimously decided to introduce martial law after an emergency meeting, in accordance with the Constitution of Ukraine (Article 83). The Verkhovna Rada convened to approve the presidential decree on Monday, November 26 , albeit a scaled down version of only...