Russian jet fighters fly over a bridge connecting the Russian mainland with the Crimean Peninsula after three Ukrainian navy vessels were stopped by Russia from entering the Sea of Azov via the Kerch Strait in the Black Sea, Crimea.
Russia reopened the Kerch Strait near Crimea to shipping in the early hours of Monday morning after firing on and seizing three Ukrainian naval ships a day earlier, a move that triggered a dangerous new crisis between the two countries.
Russia's FSB security service said early on Monday its border patrol boats had seized two small Ukrainian armoured artillery vessels and a tug boat after opening fire on them and wounding several sailors, the most serious clash between Moscow and Kiev in years.
It had previously blocked the Kerch Strait near Russia-annexed Crimea to stop the ships from passing from the Black Sea into the Sea of Azov, saying the small flotilla had not notified it of its plans in advance and ignored warnings to stop while manoeuvring dangerously.
With relations still raw after Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea and its backing for a pro-Moscow insurgency in eastern Ukraine, the incident risks pushing the two countries towards a wider conflict and is likely to renew Western calls for more sanctions on Moscow.
Russia reopened the Kerch Strait near Crimea to shipping in the early hours of Monday morning after firing on and seizing three Ukrainian naval ships a day earlier, a move that triggered a dangerous new crisis between the two countries.Russia's FSB security service said early on Monday its border patrol boats had seized two small Ukrainian armoured artillery vessels and a tug boat after opening fire on them and wounding several sailors, the most serious clash between Moscow and Kiev in years.It had previously blocked the Kerch Strait near Russia-annexed Crimea to stop the ships from passing from the Black Sea into the Sea of Azov, saying the small flotilla had not notified it of its plans in advance and ignored warnings to stop while manoeuvring dangerously.With relations still raw after Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea and its backing for a pro-Moscow insurgency in eastern Ukraine, the incident risks pushing the two countries towards a wider conflict and is likely to renew Western calls for more sanctions on Moscow.Russia reopens Kerch Strait to shipping after standoff with UkraineTurkey says Kerch Strait must remain open after Russia-Ukraine standoffThe Russian rouble opened 0.4 percent weaker against the dollar in Moscow, its lowest since mid-November.Kiev, which denied its ships had done anything wrong, accused Russia of military aggression and asked for the international community to mobilise to punish Russia.The U.N. Security Council will meet on the latest developments at the request of Russia and Ukraine later on Monday, diplomats said.The European Union said in a statement it expected Russia to restore freedom of passage via the Kerch Strait and urged both sides to act with the utmost restraint to de-escalate the situation. A NATO spokeswoman issued a similar appeal to both sides.Ukrainian ships seized by Russia being held at Crimean port of KerchSecurity Council to convene over Russia, UkraineMartial Law In Ukraine?A Reuters witness said the three Ukrainian naval vessels seized by Russia were being held at the Crimean port of Kerch. People in naval-style uniforms could be seen around the vessels, which bore no sign of damage, the witness said.The FSB has said Russia has opened a criminal case in connection with what it said was the ships' illegal entry into Russia's territorial waters.The FSB said three Ukrainian sailors were wounded in the incident and were getting medical care. Their lives were not in danger, it said.The Ukrainian parliament is due to consider a proposal to impose martial law for 60 days later on Monday after Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko met his top military and security chiefs on Sunday night.The move may be unpopular in some quarters in Ukraine since it would restrict civil liberties and give state institutions greater power ahead of a presidential election next year which polls indicate Poroshenko would lose.Russia plans stiffer fines for tech firms that break rulesRussia fires on and seizes Ukrainian ships near annexed Crimea
Russia reopens Kerch Strait to shipping after standoff with Ukraine
Turkey said on Monday it was "concerned" by reports that Ukrainian ships had been fired on off the coast of Russia-annexed Crimea and said that shipping in the area should not be obstructed."As a country sharing a Black Sea coast, we underline that passage through Kerch Strait should not be blocked," Turkey's foreign ministry said in a statement."We call for the respect of international law in order not to escalate tensions," it added, calling for avoiding steps that could endanger stability and peace in the region.Russia seized three Ukrainian naval ships in the Black Sea on Sunday after opening fire on them and wounding several sailors, a move that risks igniting a dangerous new crisis between the two countries.The incident took place near the Kerch Strait linking the Black Sea with the Sea of Azov.The three Ukrainian naval vessels are being held at the Black Sea peninsula's port of Kerch.Video: Russia seizes Ukrainian ships near annexed CrimeaUkrainian ships seized by Russia being held at Crimean port of KerchSecurity Council to convene over Russia, UkraineRussia fires on and seizes Ukrainian ships near annexed Crimea
Turkey says Kerch Strait must remain open after Russia-Ukraine standoff
The Russian rouble opened 0.4 percent weaker against the dollar in Moscow, its lowest since mid-November.
Kiev, which denied its ships had done anything wrong, accused Russia of military aggression and asked for the international community to mobilise to punish Russia.
The U.N. Security Council will meet on the latest developments at the request of Russia and Ukraine later on Monday, diplomats said.
The European Union said in a statement it expected Russia to restore freedom of passage via the Kerch Strait and urged both sides to act with the utmost restraint to de-escalate the situation. A NATO spokeswoman issued a similar appeal to both sides.
Three Ukrainian naval vessels seized by Russia off the coast of Russia-annexed Crimea on Sunday are being held at the Black Sea peninsula's port of Kerch, a Reuters witness said on Monday.People in naval-style uniforms could be seen around the vessels, which bore no sign of damage, the witness said.Russia on Sunday seized two small Ukrainian armoured artillery vessels and a tug boat, which Moscow said had illegally entered Russia's territorial waters.Video: Three Ukrainian ships seized by Russia are moored at Crimean port of KerchRussia blocks Ukrainian navy from entering Sea of AzovRussia ‘rams’ Ukrainian tugboat off CrimeaRussia and Ukraine involved in Black Sea naval standoff
Ukrainian ships seized by Russia being held at Crimean port of Kerch
The UN Security Council will convene a meeting on Monday over a dispute between Russia and Ukraine.Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to UN, tweeted on Sunday: “An emergency Security Council meeting has been called for tomorrow at 11:00 am.”The move came after Russia seized three Ukrainian navy ships off Crimea in the Sea of Azov.Russia fires on and seizes Ukrainian ships near annexed CrimeaRussia said the vessels ignored calls to stop at the border sparking military action.The Ukrainian Navy earlier accused Russia of opening fire on its warships off Crimea, asserting that crew members were wounded and its vessels were seized by Russia.
Security Council to convene over Russia, Ukraine
Martial Law In Ukraine?
A Reuters witness said the three Ukrainian naval vessels seized by Russia were being held at the Crimean port of Kerch. People in naval-style uniforms could be seen around the vessels, which bore no sign of damage, the witness said.
The FSB has said Russia has opened a criminal case in connection with what it said was the ships' illegal entry into Russia's territorial waters.
The FSB said three Ukrainian sailors were wounded in the incident and were getting medical care. Their lives were not in danger, it said.
The Ukrainian parliament is due to consider a proposal to impose martial law for 60 days later on Monday after Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko met his top military and security chiefs on Sunday night.
The move may be unpopular in some quarters in Ukraine since it would restrict civil liberties and give state institutions greater power ahead of a presidential election next year which polls indicate Poroshenko would lose.
Russia plans to impose stiffer fines on technology firms that fail to comply with Russian laws, sources familiar with the plans said, raising the stakes in the Kremlin's fight with global tech giants such as Facebook and Google.Over the past five years, Russia has introduced tougher internet laws that require search engines to delete some search results, messaging services to share encryption keys with security services and social networks to store Russian users' personal data on servers within the country.The plans for harsher fines are contained in a consultation document prepared by the administration of President Vladimir Putin and sent to industry players for feedback, according to three sources familiar with the draft document.At the moment, the only tools Russia has to enforce its data rules are fines that typically only come to a few thousand dollars or blocking the offending online services, which is an option fraught with technical difficulties.The proposal is to amend the legislation so a company not complying with the rules is subject to a fine equal to 1 percent of its annual revenue in Russia, according to the sources and a copy of the document seen by Reuters.The Kremlin did not respond to a request for comment.Russia blocks Ukrainian navy from entering Sea of AzovRussia ‘rams’ Ukrainian tugboat off CrimeaA representative of state telecoms regulator Roscomnadzor, Vadim Ampelonsky, said he could not comment because his agency was not involved in drafting laws.Russian regulator Roscomnadzor has repeatedly accused Facebook and Google of failing to comply with Russian laws. It blocked access to LinkedIn in 2016 and tried to do the same to the Telegram encrypted messenger service in April.A Google representative in Russia declined to comment on the accusations or the proposal for new fines. Neither Facebook nor Telegram CEO Pavel Durov responded to requests for comment.One of the sources who told Reuters about the proposal works for a Russian technology firm, one is at a foreign tech company and the third works for an industry lobby group.They spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorised to speak to the media.'Significant Amount'Just like lawmakers and officials in the United States and the European Union, Russia is wrestling with the challenge of how to limit the power of tech companies that have accumulated vast wealth and enormous vaults of data.The proposal to levy companies 1 percent of annual revenue could lead to substantial fines.Google's Russian subsidiary, for example, had revenue of 45.2 billion roubles ($687 million) in 2017, according to the SPARK database which aggregates data from business registries."For a foreign company, that's already a significant amount," the source at the foreign tech firm said, though they added that it was unclear how the fine would be collected given some companies have no legal entity in Russia.Under the proposed amendments, a fine could also be levied multiple times on the same company for every time it is found to have committed a violation.By comparison, under current legislation the maximum fine Google in Russia can face in an ongoing case brought against it by Roscomnadzor is 700,000 roubles ($10,595).Russia and Ukraine involved in Black Sea naval standoffThat case relates to allegations that Google, which is owned by Alphabet Inc., failed to comply with requests to remove search results for organisations that are banned in Russia. Google has not commented on the allegations.Facebook has said it is in discussions with the telecoms watchdog about its compliance with the rules. It has not moved servers containing its Russian users' data to Russia, three years after a law was passed requiring the move.In addition to stiffer fines, Russian authorities would retain the power to block companies' online services under the new laws, according to the draft proposal seen by Reuters.The source in the industry lobby group said companies in the sector could accept higher fines if they were applied fairly and they replaced the practice of blocking sites. But he said firms would oppose rules that allow both fines and blocking."But generally speaking anything that brings order to the system of blocking that has sporadically arisen at various times is an excellent idea," the source said.Blocking has caused technical problems in the past. When officials tried to block Telegram in April they inadvertently stopped Russian users' access to voice calls on the Viber messaging service and cloud-based applications for Volvo cars, among other services. Telegram is still accessible in Russia. ($1 = 66.0675 roubles) Turkish, Russian ministers discuss Idlib, Tal RifaatRussia ready to mediate between Palestinians and Israel: Lavrov
Russia plans stiffer fines for tech firms that break rules
Russia seized three Ukrainian naval ships off the coast of Russia-annexed Crimea on Sunday after opening fire on them and wounding several sailors, a move that risks igniting a dangerous new crisis between the two countries.Russia's FSB security service said early on Monday its border patrol boats had seized the Ukrainian naval vessels in the Black Sea and used weapons to force them to stop, Russian news agencies reported.The FSB said it had been forced to act because the ships - two small Ukrainian armoured artillery vessels and a tug boat - had illegally entered its territorial waters, attempted illegal actions, and ignored warnings to stop while manoeuvring dangerously.Video: Russia seizes Ukrainian ships near annexed Crimea"Weapons were used with the aim of forcibly stopping the Ukrainian warships," the FSB said in a statement circulated to Russian state media."As a result, all three Ukrainian naval vessels were seized in the Russian Federation's territorial waters in the Black Sea."The FSB said three Ukrainian sailors were wounded in the incident and were getting medical care. Their lives were not in danger, it said.With relations still raw after Russia's annexation of Crimea and its backing for a pro-Moscow insurgency in eastern Ukraine, the incident risks pushing the two countries towards a wider conflict.Ukraine denied its ships had done anything wrong, accused Russia of military aggression, and asked for the international community to mobilise to punish Russia.The U.N. Security Council will meet on the latest developments at the request of Russia and Ukraine, diplomats said.POROSHENKO PROPOSES MARTIAL LAWUkrainian President Petro Poroshenko met his top military and security chiefs. Poroshenko said he would propose that parliament impose martial law.Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 and then built a giant road bridge linking it to southern Russia that straddles the Kerch Strait - a narrow stretch of water that links the Black Sea to the Sea of Azov, which is home to two of Ukraine's most important ports.Russia's control of Crimea, where its Black Sea Fleet is based, and of the bridge mean it is able to control shipping flows.The crisis began on Sunday after Russia stopped the three Ukrainian ships from entering the Sea of Azov by placing a cargo ship beneath the bridge.A Reuters witness said Russia backed its blockade with at least two Sukhoi Su-25 warplanes that screeched overhead. Russian state TV said Russian combat helicopters had been deployed in the area.The Ukrainian navy said on social media six Ukrainian sailors were wounded in the subsequent seizure of its ships, which appear to have been rammed and boarded, and that the Russian attack on them had occurred after they had retreated and headed back towards Odessa, the Black Sea port from where they had begun their journey."After leaving the 12-mile zone, the Russian Federation's FSB (security service) opened fire at the flotilla belonging to ... the armed forces of Ukraine," it said in a statement.The European Union said in a statement it expected Russia to restore freedom of passage via the Kerch Strait and urged both sides to act with utmost restraint to de-escalate the situation. A NATO spokeswoman issued a similar appeal to both sides.RISK OF WIDER CONFLICTA bilateral treaty gives both Russia and Ukraine the right to use the Sea of Azov, which lies between them and is linked by the narrow Kerch Strait to the Black Sea. Tension has risen since Russia annexed Crimea, with both countries complaining about shipping delays and harassment.Russia's border guard service accused Ukraine earlier on Sunday of not informing it in advance of the three ships' journey, something Kiev denied.Russia said the Ukrainian ships had been manoeuvring dangerously and ignoring its instructions with the aim of stirring up tensions.Russian politicians denounced Kiev, saying the incident looked like a calculated bid by Poroshenko to increase his popularity ahead of an election next year.In another sign of rising tensions, Russia's state-controlled RIA news agency reported on Sunday night that Ukrainian forces had started heavy shelling of residential areas in eastern Ukraine, which is controlled by pro-Moscow separatists.Reuters could not independently confirm that and the Interfax news agency cited separatists as denying there had been any unusual escalation.
Russia fires on and seizes Ukrainian ships near annexed Crimea