Ukraine Condemns Russian "Provocative" Actions

Ukraine condemned what it described as "provocative" Russian actions on Monday, a day after a Russian warship fired warning shots at a cargo ship in the Black Sea. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry strongly denounced the provocative actions taken by the Russian Federation on August 13 in the Black Sea concerning the Turkish ship "Sokru Okan," which was transporting bulk goods to the port of Ismail. The ministry stated in a press release that "the Russian navy grossly violated the United Nations Charter, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and other rules of international law. These actions embody Russia's deliberate policy of endangering freedom of navigation and the safety of commercial shipping in the Black Sea." Moscow stated in a press release that the patrol vessel Vasily Bikov fired rounds from automatic weapons at the Sokru Okan, which flies the Palauan flag, for failing to respond to a request for inspection. Since Moscow's withdrawal last month from a UN-brokered agreement that allowed the safe export of Ukrainian grain through Black Sea ports, Russia claimed it would treat any ship sailing near Ukrainian ports as a potential military vessel.