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With ice breaking up on the top of the world, Russia on Friday declared itself a nautical gatekeeper.
Moscow will restrict the passage of foreign warships along the country’s increasingly important Northeast Passage, said the Russian Defense Ministry, "to eliminate the legal vacuum in the use of the northern sea route."
Starting in 2019, the passage of the foreign navies will be allowed only upon preliminary notification, Mikhail Mizintsev, head of the National Defense Management Center, said at a conference in Moscow.
The Northeast Passage, the shortest sea route between Europe and Eastern Asia, is currently too ice bound for passage much of the year, but with global warming, that could change, making the route more attractive for navies and commerce alike.
All 24 Ukrainian sailors, nabbed at a strait near Crimea last week, were moved to a Moscow pretrial detention centre on Friday.The servicemen, including two security service agents, were arrested on Sunday, when three Ukrainian naval vessels in the Black Sea tried to enter the Kerch Strait to reach the Sea of Azov.Russia's Investigative Committee has accused the Ukrainians of illegal border crossing.In a tit-for-tat, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has forbidden Russian male citizens from ages 16-60 to enter the country.Russia and Ukraine have been at loggerheads since 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea after a controversial referendum.Turkey, as well as the UN General Assembly, viewed the annexation as illegal.Ukraine has also blamed Kremlin for separatist violence in eastern Ukraine, near the border with Russia.Ukraine receives 500 million euros in EU assistanceRussia thinks Trump cancelled Putin meeting for domestic reasonsRussia has no plans to ban entry to Ukrainian menUkraine bars entry to Russian men of combat age citing invasion fearsTrump cancels G20 Putin meeting over Ukraine
Jailed Ukrainian sailors moved to Moscow
The Russian central bank said on Friday that Deputy Governor Alexander Torshin, who is on a U.S. sanctions blacklist and has been tied to an investigation into a suspected Russian agent operating in Washington, is leaving the bank to retire.The U.S. Justice Department has said Maria Butina, accused of operating as a Russian agent, was working at the direction of an unnamed senior official at the Russian central bank.A person familiar with the matter told Reuters that Butina worked as an assistant for Torshin. Butina's lawyers have identified Torshin as the person with whom she was accused of working.Torshin has not replied to requests for comment on the U.S. investigation. The Russian central bank declined additional comments when contacted by Reuters on Friday.Torshin, who turned 65 on Tuesday, was hit by U.S. sanctions in April along with a number of Russian businessmen and government officials seen as close to President Vladimir Putin.The U.S. Treasury Department said the measures were a response to what is described as Russia's malign activity, including its actions in Ukraine, its support of President Bashar al-Assad in Syria's civil war and subverting Western democracies.Butina is accused of working with a Russian official and two unidentified U.S. citizens to try to infiltrate a U.S. gun-rights organisation and influence American foreign policy toward Russia. Moscow has called the case against Butina fabricated and demanded her release. 
Russian central banker retires, tied to suspected agent held by US
Russia believes U.S. President Donald Trump cancelled his meeting with Vladimir Putin due to domestic issues rather than the Ukraine situation, its foreign ministry said on Friday."Is the provocation started by Kiev in this area (Azov Sea) a real reason for the cancellation? We heard that as an official version and we accepted that. Is it a real one? I believe we should look for answers in the U.S. domestic political situation," spokeswoman Maria Zakharova was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies. Trump cancels G20 Putin meeting over Ukraine
Russia thinks Trump cancelled Putin meeting for domestic reasons