Ukraine navy plans to pass through Kerch Strait again

Ukraine’s navy forces are going to use the Kerch
Strait again when they are ready to do so, Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak
said in a television interview on Dec. 6. “When we are ready to conduct the
next crossing to rotate our units, we will conduct these crossings in line with
all international norms and rights,” he said. “Until then, I think the
international pressure on the Russians will enable them to understand that they
are not fulfilling their international obligations.”

When Ukraine navy ships attempted to cross from the
Black Sea into the Kerch Strait on Nov. 25 and were attacked by Russian border
agents, they “didn’t violate any point of any agreement,” said Poltorak. “We
acted absolutely the same as in the previous case. But we will not surrender
our right to pass through the Kerch Strait and from our right to be present in
the Azov Sea.” Doing so would mean that Russia occupies the Azov Sea and “we
will simply lose another territory,” he said.

The OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine should
be extend to the Azov Sea after the Nov. 25 armed conflict, German Foreign
Minister Heiko Maas said at a Dec. 6 of meeting of OSCE foreign ministers. This
will be discussed at a Dec. 11 meeting in Berlin between representatives of
Ukraine and Russia, mediated by German and French diplomats. “I suppose the
Ukrainian side considered it to be rational. On the contrary, the Russians were
very skeptical,” Maas said, referring to their reactions to the planned
meeting. He added, “Ukraine is counting on Germany’s further leadership in
forming a strong and all-encompassing EU response to the war rhetoric of the
Kremlin and its aggressive actions, which threaten the security of the
Euro-Atlantic space,” Maas said. The OSCE mission currently is limited to
Ukraine’s land territory and is aimed at ensuring the fulfillment of the Minsk
Accords, he said.

Zenon Zawada: As we’ve been mentioning since the Nov. 25 conflict, similar clashes
in Ukraine’s maritime zone (Black and Azov seas) are inevitable. The only
questions are when they will happen, to what extent they will escalate and
whether Western forces will become directly involved. We expect attempts will
be made to extend or renew martial law in Ukraine, in one form or another,
provoked or not. We also believe Russia’s armed forces can use the pretext of a
small clash to justify the bombardment of strategic and military sites in
Ukraine.