The Ukrainian authorities do not have a plan for restoring the free use of the Azov Sea after the construction of the Kerch Bridge in the occupied Crimea. This is stated in the official inquiry of the representatives of the “Ukrainian Association of Patriots”, addressed to the Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman.
The document was prepared by the MPs from the inter-faction union UKROP Taras Batenko, Oleksandr Shevchenko, Viktor Shevchenko, Iryna Konstankevych, Vitaliy Kupriy, Oleksandr Dubinin and Valentyn Didych.
“The actions of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation, the occupational military group in the Crimea, the Russian armed forces, located in the Southern Federal District of the Russian Federation, endangered the regions of Ukraine adjacent to the waters of the Azov Sea. The situation intensified in the second half of May 2018,” states UKROP.
The political force has noted that the construction of the Kerch Bridge has complicated the work of the Ukrainian ports in Berdyansk and Mariupol and can lead to their closure.
“It seems that the Ukrainian authorities are not aware of the threat of the situation in the region of the Azov Sea. The leadership of the state did not propose any counter-strategy, which would prevent further occupation of sovereign Ukraine,” stressed the representatives of UKROP.
In addition, the Russian Federation is trying to block access to minerals and industrial fishing in the Azov Sea and the Kerch Strait. However, the Ukrainian authorities do not react to the aggressor’s activation in the fifth year of the war.
“The diplomatic, economic, and cultural relations are not cut off. Ukraine did not cancel the existing bilateral treaties regulating these relations and creates additional opportunities for the Russian diplomatic, political, economic, military and propaganda maneuvers,” emphasized the authors.
In view of the conflict escalation, the MPs from UKROP urged the government to propose the rupture of diplomatic relations with the Russian Federation for the President’s consideration. In their turn, the Ukrainian diplomats should inform friendly states about the aggressive actions of Russia in the Azov Sea and initiate consideration of this issue at a meeting of the UN Security Council.
At the same time, all Ukrainian-Russian agreements on cooperation or common use of the Azov Sea and the Kerch Strait should be canceled. In addition, the Ukrainian part should take territorial waters under protection, ensuring the maritime patrolling.
The authorities should initiate the creation of a special multinational naval unit and call on the international partners to impose sanctions against all ports of the Russian Federation in the Black and Azov Seas.
Besides, the authors of the appeal proposed the government to consider in a closed session the issue of the formation of a combat group of the Navy in the Azov Sea and increase the funding of the Navy and the Border Guard troops in terms of increasing their combat capability by making appropriate changes to the state budget for the current year.
