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Photo from Petro Poroshenko’s Facebook page
On Sunday, the search and rescue vessel A500 Donbas and the seagoing tug A830 Korets passed through the Kerch Strait, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said.
The Navy did not request permission from Russia, which has waged hybrid-war against Ukraine since 2014, but exercised its right to free navigation in the Kerch Strait and the Sea of Azov in accordance with the United Nations Convention and international agreements.
On the Black Sea, Ukrainian vessels were escorted by Priazovye, an intelligence ship of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, and Russian border patrol vessels Ametist and Don.
In the Kerch Strait, more than 10 ships and boats of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet and Federal Security Service were involved in a close escort. The aggressor country’s aircraft repeatedly carried out overflights of the Ukrainian vessels, including overflights at extremely low altitudes.
In addition, the forces of the aggressor country committed a number of dangerous acts, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said.
The search and rescue vessel A500 Donbas was towed by the seagoing tug A830 Korets. This process is quite dangerous and greatly limits maneuverability. However, on September 20, around 5 p.m., Russian reconnaissance Priazovye carried out an excessively close approach to the Ukrainian vessels at a distance of two lengths of cables, which grossly violated the requirements of international rules for preventing collisions.
On the next day, the Russian Su-27 fighter (from the temporarily-occupied territory of Crimea, tail number 30) created the conditions for an air accident, closely approaching a Ukrainian An-26 aircraft, which was fulfilling a planned task above the Black Sea.
The search and rescue vessel A500 Donbas and the seagoing tug A830 Korets Search continue performing their required tasks. Starting from the Kerch Strait, they are protected by small armored boats Lubny and Kremenchuk. The appropriate forces and means of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, including the air force, are prepared to react to an attack.
The Ukrainian Navy will not allow Russia to make the Sea of Azov its internal lake, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said.
Poroshenko wrote a post of support on his Facebook page and congratulated the vessels on the successful entrance.
