Let's go to the dump truck

What happened in the Kerch Strait

The Russian military fired, rammed and captured three Ukrainian military vessels who went from Odessa (Ukrainian port) to Mariupol (Ukrainian port). Who violated what and where is it to blame?

There is a sequel

& Nbsp
The first blood of a possible winter war. Military expert: the construction of the Ukrainian Marine base in Berdyansk caused an extremely dangerous conflict

On December 24, 2003, Russia and Ukraine signed an agreement on cooperation in the use of the Sea of ​​Azov and the Kerch Strait.

In this agreement, black and white said: "Trademen and warships, as well as other state vessels under the flag of the Russian Federation or Ukraine, operated for non -profit purposes, use freedom of shipping in the Sea of ​​Azov and the Kerch Strait."

The only sea route from Odessa, on the Black Sea, to Mariupol, in Azov, and vice versa - through the Kerch Strait.

Since 2014 , since the connection of Crimea to Russia, this path for obvious reasons is quite dangerous.

Since 2018 , since the opening of the Kerch bridge (May 15), this path, if necessary, runs under the supports of the Kerch bridge.

On September 22, 2018 , that is, two months ago, two Ukrainian warships (evil tongues will say - two rusty troughs) called Donbass and Korets under the supports of the Kerch bridge. According to their captain Dmitry Kovalenko, they were ready for conflict with Russian border guards. Their weapons were charged, and they even prepared fire hydrants to wash off the Russians from the deck in case of boarding. However, there was: the Russian military simply accompanied both vessels, despite the fact that Captain Kovalenko did not ask to go to the Sea of ​​Azov. He simply notified the opposite side that he was going to make a transition: in full accordance with the aforementioned agreement of December 24, 2003.

This Sunday, the same route under the same circumstances set off three more ships: Berdyansk, Nikopol and Yana Kapu. According to the Ukrainian side, the notification was also sent. Result: the vessels are fired and captured, the tugboat was tiled, 23 Ukrainian sailors are captured, three of them were injured, and at the same time Russia opened a criminal case of an illegal crossing of the state border.

That is, all 23 sailors, including the wounded, are dying of a serious prison term.

Ukraine published negotiations of Russian sailors. "Davi him, Davi!" - they scream gambling.

In this situation, naturally, several questions arise.

First , to the Ukrainian side:

Why didn't Ukrainian sailors shoot?

After the heroic transition of the Donbass and Korean, Captain Kovalenko, his tongue erased, giving an interview about how heroic Ukrainian sailors were preparing to reflect aggression.

“Berdyansk” and “Nikopol” have quite decent weapons (on paper, at least): an automatic gun 3TM-1, a grenade launcher, a machine gun, even two anti-tank missile systems on each. Of course, I understand that, most likely, this weapon is in the same state as on the Russian Admiral Kuznetsov. But, in the end, these are military vessels. Fighting is their professional lesson.

Tell me, please, why let military vessels under the supports of the Kerch bridge, then to observe how they are taken on boarding - a helpless cargo ship? In order to hiccup and demand urgently to convene the UN Security Council?

Question two , to the Russian side: the passage of Ukrainian courts on the Ukrainian Sea from the Ukrainian port to the Ukrainian port is a crime from the point of view of Russia or not?

If so, why did the Russian border guards missed military vessels on September 22, 2018? Who was removed from the post for this? Who is unclenched to ordinary?

And if there was no crime and illegal crossing the border on September 22, why did this become a crime on November 25?

What are the international acts changed during this time? How to understand such selectivity?

The third question , again to the Russian side. Ukrainians, as I have already noted, did not shoot. But if they didn’t even shoot, maybe it was not worth capturing their trial? It was impossible to just drive away (in violation of all international norms and agreements in 2003) it was impossible? Was it necessary to take on boarding?

Agree, if the task of the Russians was, as Russian officials broadcast, “to repulse the provocation”, then it was possible to just put the Ukrainians. Even the sheated, shredded and captured ships could simply be taken out of the strait and abandoned. Ukrainians would have smiled, resigned. And everything would resolve.

And so can not resolve, because

In Russian captivity are wounded. And these people are still going to judge criminal criminals.

And after that, Russian government officials with serious persons say that all this is a provocation and all this is profitable for Poroshenko.

Yes, of course, Poroshenko will use this. And what, excuse me, would you do in his place? 3 warships were detained from him and 23 people were captured, in violation of all international norms. How should any president behave after that, especially before the elections? Ask the invader for forgiveness?

I repeat once again: even if Russia, in violation of the contracts signed by her, suddenly, on Sunday, standing on the wrong leg, decided that the passage of Ukrainian military vessels from the Black Sea to Azovskoye was unacceptable, then Russia had a lot of options to stop Ukrainians without bringing the situation to the hopeless.

But now both countries are put in a position from which there is no rational output.

Russia fired at Ukrainian ships (that is, in fact, began the war), it captured them and, moreover, it did not even declare crews prisoners of war. She announced the sailors by criminals.

And you know what is the worst? If it were still part of a large -scale plan, it would be okay.

But with a high probability, all this was done by some local general who just wanted to get to curry up.