A command ship of the Ukrainian Navy, the Donbass, changed its course and turned away from the Kerch Strait, the public relations department of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said on Thursday.
"The Donbass command ship changed its course to the opposite from the Kerch Strait, and is not responding to requests. Actions of the Ukrainian ship’s crew are viewed as provocative, posing a threat to safety of navigation," TASS cited FSB as saying.
According to the Russian security service, the Donbass command ship of the Ukrainian Navy left the port city of Mariupol at 09:12 Moscow time on Thursday, heading towards the Kerch Strait. The Ukrainian side filed no requests for sailing through the Kerch-Yenikale Canal, a maritime route in the Kerch Strait connecting the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. At 13:45, a Russian coast guard ship warned the Donbass that it must comply with the Russian law and apply for a permission to navigate the Kerch-Yenikale Canal. The ship’s crew replied that it did not plan to sail via the Kerch Strait. However, the vessel kept sailing towards the Kerch Strait and ignored commands to change course.
