Ukrainian
official invites British warship to cross Kerch Strait & see how
Russia reacts
RT,
23
December, 2018
A
deputy minister in Kiev suggested that the British Navy should send
its warship to the Sea of Azov to test Russia’s response. Moscow
described the idea as ‘bonkers.’
“When
it is being said that Russia won’t allow the passage of a British
ship, I have one remark – has anyone tried it?” Yuri
Hrymchak wondered during
a talk show aired live on a Ukrainian TV channel on Friday.
Hrymchak
serves as deputy minister of temporarily occupied territories and
internally displaced persons – a department tasked with
facilitating the ‘future return’ of Crimea from Russia to
Ukraine. He was discussing last month’s naval standoff near the
Kerch Strait.
On
November 25, the Russian Coast Guard intercepted and seized two
Ukrainian gunboats and a tugboat. Moscow accused the sailors of
trying to enter the busy strait, connecting the Black Sea with the
Sea of Azov, while violating existing navigational procedures. In
response, Ukraine accused Russia of unprovoked aggression against its
vessels.
Since
the Royal Navy hydrographic survey ship, HMS ‘Echo’ has no
weapons on board, it is not bound by international regulations, which
limit the activity of navies belonging to non-Black Sea states in the
region, Deputy Minister Hrymchak argued.
Apparently the news might be out that we've been in Ukraine... It was a great pleasure to assist @UKinUkraine during the visit by Secretary of State for Defence @GavinWilliamson.
“And
it would be interesting to see how will [the Russians] would react if
this ship sailed in a caravan” through
the Kerch Strait, the Ukrainian official said. It is not entirely
clear how serious he was about this idea.
Nevertheless,
officials in Moscow blasted the suggestion as being out of touch with
reality. It indicates “how dangerous the current regime in
Kiev is for the world,” Russian Senator Frants Klintsevich
said.
“This
regime is descending deeper into a maniacal condition,” he
added.
HMS
‘Echo’ was deployed to the Black Sea earlier this week. The
vessel paid a visit to the port of Odessa, which hosts a Ukrainian
naval base. The ship itself was visited by Secretary of State for
Defense Gavin Williamson during his trip to the nation.
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