Kremlin assures it will not fulfill decision of UN Tribunal - Ukrainian sailors will not be released

Russia will not release Ukrainian sailors of war and captured warships, despite the ruling of the UN International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea. This was made clear by press secretary of the head of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov, - Russian Interfax reports with reference to Vedomosti.

"The position cannot be changed. The investigation should be completed in connection with the violation of the law on the border and the court should be held", - Peskov said on Sunday, answering the question of the media, whether the position of the Kremlin has changed in connection with the UN International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea.

As previously reported, on November 25, 2018, Russia blocked the passage of the Yany Kapu tugboat and Berdiansk and Nikopol boats to the Kerch Strait, which carried out the planned transition from Odessa to Mariupol. The occupiers captured 24 Ukrainian soldiers. Three of them were injured. The Ukrainians were accused of the illegal crossing of the border of the Russian Federation. On April 16, Ukraine applied to the United Nations International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea to release prisoners and ships.

On May 25, 2019, the UN court made public the decision to apply temporary measures in the case on the claim of Ukraine to the Russian Federation. The court ordered Russia to release 24 Ukrainian sailors and ships. At the same time, the court did not satisfy Ukraine's request to oblige the Russian Federation to stop criminal prosecution of prisoners. According to the decision of the court, the Russian Federation must inform the court before June 25 on the implementation of the order for the release of Ukrainian sailors and ships. The MFA of the Russian Federation stated that the UN International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea does not have jurisdiction to consider Ukraine's demands to the Russian Federation to release captured sailors and military vessels

Andrei Klishas, ​​chairman of the Council of the Russian Federation Committee on Constitutional Legislation and State Construction, stated that the decision of the UN International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea does not fall within the jurisdiction of this court due to the incident in the Kerch Strait and cannot be recognized.