Russia calls to complete probe of 24 Ukrainian sailors held from Kerch Strait

The Kremlin said an investigation and trial of 24 Ukrainian sailors captured by Russia in the Black Sea must be completed despite an international maritime tribunal calling for their release, the Vedomosti newspaper reported late on Sunday.

The Russian navy captured the Ukrainian sailors and their three vessels in the Kerch Strait, which links the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, on Nov. 25, 2018, after opening fire on them.

The Hamburg-based International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) on Saturday said that Moscow had to release the sailors immediately and both nations should refrain from taking any action that might aggravate the dispute.