Against international law
The escalation of the conflict in the Azov Sea
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
At the end of November 2018, Russia’s coastguard seized three Ukrainian ships in the Kerch Strait that were sailing towards Mariupol. The ships were rammed, fired at and boarded. The crew were arrested and accused of illegally crossing the state border with Russia. Russia’s behaviour is a violation of international law. The purpose of this act of violence was to assert Russia’s dominance over Ukraine with regard to the Kerch Strait, in defiance of international law, and to intimidate the Ukrainian navy. With such actions, Russia is continuing its occupation and annexation of Crimea, which is illegal according to international law.
(Osteuropa 1-2/2019, pp. 3–22)