UN Court Orders Russia To Free Detained Ukraine Naval Ships And Sailors

The incident happened in the Kerch Strait which separates Crimea from mainland Russia (Picture: PA).

A United Nations (UN) court has ordered Russia to immediately release three Ukraine naval ships and 24 sailors who were detained in November. 

The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea issued its order following a hearing earlier this month.

Russian representatives did not attend.

Russia, who submitted a memorandum to the tribunal, argued that the rights Ukraine claims in the case did not apply because they were covered by an exception for military activity.

Kiev's lawyers contest this claim, saying Russia itself has previously described the arrest as a law enforcement operation, with the tribunal siding with Ukraine on that point.

However, tribunal president Jin-Hyun Paik said: "The tribunal considers it appropriate to order both parties to refrain from taking any action which might aggravate or extend the dispute".

He said Russia must return the ships to Ukrainian custody and allow the service personnel to go home.

But Mr Paik said the tribunal "does not consider it necessary to require [Russia] to suspend criminal proceedings against the 24 detained Ukrainian servicemen and refrain from initiating new proceedings".

Kiev had called for legal proceedings to be ended.

The tribunal's decisions are legally binding, but it has no power to enforce them. 

Olena Zerkal, Ukraine's deputy foreign minister for European integration, said she expects Russia to "quickly and fully fulfil the tribunal's order".

The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement "we intend to consistently defend our position, including the lack of jurisdiction".

The confrontation in the Kerch Strait, which links the Sea of Azov with the Black Sea, marked a flashpoint in the simmering conflict over Russia's 2014 annexation of the Crimean Peninsula.