Three Ukrainian vessels, including missile boat Nikopol, Gurza-class boat Berdyansk and Tugboat Yani Kapu, left the Mariupol port and headed towards the Kerch Strait.
According to the FSB, Ukrainian vessels "have crossed the state border of the Russian Federation, and they have unlawfully entered the temporarily closed area of the Russian Federation's territorial sea.”
Russian authorities decided to close the Kerch Strait while the Ukrainian side protested against the decree referring to international law.
According to a statement by the Ukraine Naval Forces, two Ukrainian gunboats and a sea mule tugboat were on a planned journey from Odessa to Mariupol, about which Russian officials had been informed.
The statement also alleges that the Russian border ship ‘Don’ rammed the Ukrainian tugboat, breaking its engine.
