Lawyers visit seven out of 24 Ukrainian sailors arrested in Russia

Lawyers have so far visited seven out of 24 Ukrainian sailors arrested in Russia for violating the border in the Kerch Strait, lawyer Sergei Badamshin told.

"As of now, lawyers have been able to visit seven of the arrested sailors: Roman Mokryak, Andrei Artyomenko, Andrei Eider, Denis Gritsenko, Oleg Melnichuk, Andrei Oprysko and Vasily Soroka," he said. According to the lawyer, the sailors consider themselves to be prisoners of war and nearly all of them have refused to testify.

Kerch Strait incident
On November 25, three Ukrainian navy ships illegally crossed Russia’s border and tried to carry out some illegal actions in Russian territorial waters later in the day. They ignored legitimate demands to stop issued by vessels belonging to the FSB Border Service and the Black Sea Fleet and continued maneuvering dangerously. In order to stop the Ukrainian ships, weapons had to be used. The three vessels were detained in Russian territorial waters. A criminal investigation was opened into the border incident. The Ukrainian ships’ crew members, 24 Ukrainian nationals, have been arrested until January 25, 2019. They are charged with violating the Russian border under Article 322.3 of the Russian Criminal Code. If found guilty, they may face up to six years in prison.

Moscow branded Kiev's stunt in the Kerch Strait as a dangerous provocation, while the European Union and NATO called for a de-escalation of tensions, while Kiev declared a 30-day martial law.