Ukraine prepares to defend itself from ‘an immediate INVASION’ after three of its navy vessels were captured by Russian forces…(This Is About Stopping The Election!…Up to 4 Shutdowns…)
The Ukrainian navy has accused Russia of firing at and seizing three ships in Kerch Strait off annexed Crimea
Ukrainian boats were making their way to the Mariupol in the Sea of Azov from Odessa on the Black Sea
The narrow Kerch Strait is only route to the shared territorial waters of Sea of Azov, which Russia claims
Russia said it was forced to block off the strait because ships made ‘unauthorised crossing’ in its territory
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has asked parliament to approve martial law for two months
Britain and France hit out at Moscow today with Theresa May calling clash yesterday an ‘act of aggression’
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin says the seaman captured should be treated as prisoners of war
By JULIAN ROBINSON and CONNOR BOYD
DAILYMAIL.COM
26 November 2018
Ukraine is preparing to defend itself from a possible invasion after three of its navy vessels were captured by Russian forces.
Russia ignored Western calls to release three Ukrainian naval ships and their crews it fired on and captured near Crimea at the weekend and accused Kiev of plotting with its Western allies to provoke a conflict.
In Ukraine, where armed forces were on full combat alert, President Petro Poroshenko sought parliament’s approval to impose martial law from Wednesday to strengthen national defences against possible ‘invasion’ by Russia.
In a televised address, he assured sceptical lawmakers that his decree, which was to be put to a vote later on Monday, would not curb civil liberties or lead to a delay in elections scheduled for next year.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin said the Ukrainian seamen captured by Russia in Sunday’s incident off Russian-annexed peninsula of Crimea should be treated as prisoners of war.
Klimkin added the government is in talks with the Red Cross to make sure the seamen are treated as prisoners of war.
With relations still raw after Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine and its backing for a pro-Moscow insurgency in eastern Ukraine, the crisis risked pushing the two countries into open conflict and there were early signs it was reigniting Western calls for more sanctions on Moscow.
In a phone call with Poroshenko, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg offered the alliance’s ‘full support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.’
Ukraine is not a member of the U.S.-led military alliance though it aspires to membership.
Washington’s envoy to the United Nations warned Russia that its actions were an ‘outrageous violation of sovereign Ukrainian territory’, said sanctions on Russia would remain in place and any escalation by Moscow would only worsen ties.
The European Union, Britain, France, Poland, Denmark, and Canada all condemned what they called Russian aggression.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has talked by telephone with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko to express her concerns over the standoff with Russia around Crimea.
Merkel’s office said today that the chancellor emphasized the need for de-escalation and dialogue and said she would work to help bring both about. The two leaders agreed to stay in close contact.
The Rest…HERE
