There are 148 vessels detained for the inspection by Russia in the Azov Sea. Yuriy Lavrenyuk, the Deputy Infrastructure Minister of Ukraine claimed this, as the press service of the ministry reported.
Lavrenyuk noted that the number of the vessels detained for the inspection grows every day and it makes 148 ships at the moment.
“Every day the Sea Ports Administration of Ukraine spots the detention of the vessels aiming from or to ports of Mariupol and Berdiansk for the inspection by the Special Services of the Russian Federation. The data is passed by the Infrastructure Ministry to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. We receive numerous complaints from the vessels’ captains, agents who work in Berdiansk and Mariupol ports, ports’ administrations and MPs toward the groundless increase of the delaying of the ships. It cannot go on like this. It is necessary to form the united position toward the further actions of Ukraine in the response to the illegal actions of the Russian Federation as soon as possible”, - Lavrenyuk concluded.
It is noted that the members worked out the actions plan and made a number of the joint decisions on the result of the meeting.
As previously reported, from April 29, the special units of the Russian Federation unreasonably and unjustifiably increased the number of inspections of ships following to the Ukrainian ports through the Kerch Strait, regardless of the flag of the vessel.