To reassert Ukraine’s right to free shipping on the Azov

To reassert Ukraine’s right to free shipping on the Azov, a binational sea, the Poroshenko administration plans to send another Ukrainian Navy flotilla through the Kerch Strait – this time with international observers on board. On Nov. 25, Russian border service ships fired on three Ukrainian Navy boats south of the Strait. Ukraine’s ships were impounded in Crimea and 24 crew members were sent to a Moscow jail where they await trial. Presidential advisor Yuriy Biriukov said last week: “Yes, our boats will continue [to go through the Strait]. We can’t simply say: ‘They intimidated us. We won’t go there anymore.’”