Russia has been accused of declaring war on Ukraine, after a series of hostile acts.
The United States has accused Russia of “declaring war” on Ukraine after it seized three Ukrainian ships and their crews in the Black Sea. This is the latest in a series of hostile acts between the two countries, with tensions already high following Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014. With that in mind, here’s a look at why Russia declared war on Ukraine and what the latest incident means for relations between the two countries.
What happened to cause this diplomatic crisis?
On November 25th, Russian coast guard vessels fired on three Ukrainian navy ships near Crimea. The Ukrainian vessels were attempting to pass through the Kerch Strait from the Black Sea into the Sea of Azov when they were attacked by Russian ships. The Russians then captured all 24 crew members aboard and took them to Moscow for questioning. A fourth ship was also fired upon but managed to escape capture.
The BBC reports that both sides have blamed each other for instigating this clash, with Russia claiming that Ukraine was attempting to enter its territorial waters illegally while Ukraine insists it had permission from international authorities to pass through.
