Arbitration proceedings begin, Ukraine charges Russia of attempting to unlawfully control the vital waterway
The "gate" he referred to is the bridge constructed by Russia across the Kerch Strait following the annexation of Crimea.
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Ukraine has accused Russia of attempting to illegally assert control over the strategically significant Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait as hearings began on Monday in a critical arbitration case between the two nations.
These hearings at the Permanent Court of Arbitration are part of a series of international legal disputes stemming from Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea and its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which continues amidst ongoing conflict.
“Russia wants to take the Sea of Azov and Kerch Strait for itself, and so it has built a great gate at the entrance to keep international shipping out while allowing small Russian river vessels in,” Ukrainian representative Anton Korynevych stated before the arbitration panel.
The "gate" he referred to is the bridge constructed by Russia across the Kerch Strait following the annexation of Crimea.
The $3.5 billion, 19-kilometer (12-mile) bridge, which facilitates road and rail traffic, is crucial for Russia’s military operations in southern Ukraine. Korynevych asserted, “The bridge is unlawful and it must come down.”
Ukraine filed this case in 2016, two years after Crimea's annexation, alleging that Russia breached a United Nations maritime treaty by constructing the bridge, which restricted Ukrainian fishermen from traditional fishing areas, harmed the environment, and looted underwater archaeological sites. Ukraine is seeking unspecified compensation.
In response, Russia contends that the arbitration court lacks jurisdiction over the matter. Russian Agent Gennady Kuzmin told the panel that Ukraine’s claims are “completely groundless and hopeless,” asserting that the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait are “internal waters” not governed by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which Ukraine claims Russia is violating.
Following the opening statements, the hearings will proceed for several days in private, with a final ruling potentially taking years.
