This Could Be An Act of War: Captured Russian Crew May Trigger Russia/Ukraine Conflict
"We won't surrender," said the Russian crew of the Crimean vessel captured by Ukraine. A Seine boat has been detained in the Port of Berdyansk for 10 days. We didn't hear from the crew until recently. They said they were treated inhumanely. They're in custody, where they live on-board among 5 tons of putrefying fish. Neither a lawyer nor the Russian consul is allowed there. Even medical care is being denied. But the message of the people in detention is "Don't worry." For example, here's a phone conversation between the captain's mate and his wife.
Yury Savelyev, Nord captain's mate: "We keep our chin up, we show a bold front! Russia is with us. I'm sure it will work out. It's alright, guys, we are OK. Don't worry! We're sailors; you can't beat us that easily!"
Sergey Gorbenko, the captain of the Nord, was taken to the Kherson National Security Agency office today to start his pre-trial detention. But an hour ago he was reported to have been hospitalized. His heart gave out. The captain is accused of violating the Ukrainian border. The rest of the crew are accused of having neither any Ukrainian passports nor any Ukrainian sailing permits. At the same time, their Russian citizenship isn't being recognized. The situation is absurd.
Today Moscow handed a note of protest to the charge d'affaires a.i. of Ukraine to Russia. The MFA demands that the Russians are released, and the vessel be returned to its owner. Meanwhile, Kiev won't stop at this, ready to detain all vessels leaving Crimean waters. At least, that's what Oleg Slobodyan, a frontier police representative, says. The reaction to what he calls "violations of the occupied territories passage regime" is said to be immediate. Vadim Zavodchenkov will speculate on how real the threat is.
- How many vessels are we talking about?
- Alexei, their number is considerable, about 100. Frankly speaking, Ukrainian border police don't seem to fully understand the scope.
Take fishing trawlers, for instance. The Azov Sea, where the boat was detained, is famous for its biodiversity and has the biggest fish crop per unit area of all Russian seas. The ultimate reserves of major wild fish are estimated at about 580 thousand tons. Crimean fishermen top record fishing levels annually. For example, in 2017, the total catch was 30% bigger than in 2016. 11 Crimean trawlers were involved in anchovy fishing alone. At this time of the year, fishermen fish for kilka in the area where the trawler Nord was detained. Kilka's migratory route is at the northern coast between Berdyansk and Mariupol near Russian Primorsko-Akhtarsk and in the Gulf of Taganrog. But it isn't kilka that is central to fishing. The fishermen's goal is Azov goby and anchovy. Their crop is the largest. These types of fish prefer to stay in neutral waters or at the Russian coast.
Of course, Crimean fishing trawlers irritate Ukrainian border guards. But they hate large merchant ships visiting en masse Crimea even more. The Ukrainian government reports that 591 vessels have visited Crimean ports over the past 6 months, including more than 400 cargo ships and 169 oil tankers. Most ships, 528 to be more precise, were flying the Russian flag. Some vessels enter the ports of the peninsula to refuel and replenish water and food supplies. For example, Volgo-Balt oil tankers pass through the Azov Sea and the Black Sea from Northern Europe to the south and vice versa annually from March to November. It's strange that now transnational corporations will have to provide for popular transit routes.
Igor Korotchenko, National Defense editor-in-chief: "The Ukrainian actions are illegitimate. We have to treat Ukraine in the same way as the Somali pirates. So, there should be a ship of the Russian Black Sea fleet in the Azov Sea to escort vessels if necessary or make it clear to the Ukrainian Coast Guard that an attempt to capture a Russian vessel will be terminated by force of arms".
Interestingly, in late March, Ukraine saw a scandal over the footage of a Russian tanker which allegedly entered the port of Kherson and Zaporizhia. Though, no traces of the tanker were found on the territory of Ukraine. Maybe, Ukraine is renewing its fleet by means of piracy? In February, the Ukrainian Armed Forces got a confiscated Tanzanian vessel which dared to enter a Crimean port.
Thanks. It was Vadim Zavodchenkov about the threats to Crimean fishermen.