Russian Seizure of Ukrainian Ships Raises Questions about the International Legal Status of Crimea and its Territorial Waters

On Sunday November 25th, three Ukrainian vessels were captured by the Russian coast guard while travelling through the Kerch Strait and several soldiers were injured in the short firefight which ensued. The strait, which lies between the Russian mainland and the disputed territory of Crimea has been a flashpoint for conflict between the two nations already, with the Kremlin notably building a bridge over the strait in a symbolic display of Russian control of the region. Both countries have argued that the other country violated international law. Russian officials claim that the Ukrainian vessels violated their territorial waters, while Ukrainian authorities have pointed to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea as evidence that, in fact, it is Russia who has violated international law. The question of who violated international law ultimately comes down largely to the legal standing of Crimea. The 2014 annexation of Crimea precipitated by a revolution in Ukraine is not…

Read more detail on Recent Administrative Law posts –

This entry was posted in Administrative law and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Leave a Reply