Russia and Ukraine's Flap at the Kerch Strait

Russia and Ukraine had agreed to share the Kerch Strait under a 2003 bilateral treaty. To give some background on the area, the Kerch Strait is a narrow waterway that connects the Sea of Azov to the north with the Black Sea to the south. Russia is on the east side of the strait, and Crimea the west. In 2014 Russia made a territorial claim to annex Crimea from Ukraine; the annexation is not currently recognized by Ukraine or the UN. Ukraine’s third largest port, Mariupol, is located on the high northern side of the Sea of Azov; so Russia taking control of the strait could greatly restrict Ukrainian commercial and military flows through the area. The Sea of Azov is bounded by Ukraine and Russia and is not governed by international maritime law.

On Sunday, Russia moved a tanker to block the straight, just hours before Russian coast guard vessels fired upon three Ukrainian navy ships, injuring six sailors. The Ukrainian boats and 24 sailors were seized and taken to Crimea. The straight was reopened on Monday. Russia alleges that Ukraine provoked Russia to act. Ukraine had previously lost 80% of its navy when Russia annexed Crimea in 2014; most of its ships were moored there when Russia seized them.

Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko made a request on Monday for martial law, primarily for areas bordering Russia. His first request for an order of 60 days was rejected by parliament in light of the upcoming elections on March 31. Under martial law civil activities like elections and freedom of the press can be restricted. Poroshenko's second proposal for martial law, for 30-days, was approved by parliament and is to take effect on Wednesday. President Poroshenko says that Ukraine has been facing a hybrid war from Russia for five years and that a looming Russian ground offensive revealed by intelligence reports could cause the escalation of an open war.

The international community, including European leaders and NATO, has condemned the activity and called for de-escalation. President Trump said he is “not happy about it” and did not like the situation "either way." Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the UN, tweeted “This is no way for a law-abiding civilized nation to act. Impeding Ukraine’s lawful transit through the Kerch Strait is a violation under international law. It is an arrogant act that the international community must condemn and will never accept.” Trump and Russia will both be at the G20 summit in Argentina later this week.

Summarized in part from the November 26, 2018 Los Angeles Times article "Ukraine imposes martial law as tensions with Russia soar"

Additional resources:
The Guardian "Kerch strait confrontation: what happened and why does it matter?"
The Economist "Explaining the naval clash between Russia and Ukraine"

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