Today, September 23, the search and rescue vessel ‘Donbass’ and the sea tug ‘Korets’ passed the Kerch Strait. At the same time, the Navy of the Armed Forces of Ukraine did not request permission from the countries of the aggressor, but realized their right to free navigation in the Kerch Strait and the Azov Sea in accordance with the UN Convention and international agreements.
The transition to the Kerch Strait and through it took place in a difficult environment. On the Black Sea, ships of the Ukrainian Navy were directly accompanied by a reconnaissance ship of the Black Sea Fleet ‘Azov’ and the border guard patrols of the Russian Federation ‘Amist’ and ‘Don’. In the Kerch Strait, more than 10 ships and boats of the FSB and the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation were involved in direct support. The aircraft of the aggressor country repeatedly carried out the flight of our ships, including at extremely low altitudes.
In addition, the forces of the country of the aggressor committed a number of dangerous incidents.
On September 20, around 17:00, the reconnaissance ship of the Russian Federation ‘Priazovye’ carried out an excessive rapprochement with Ukrainian ships on the distance of 2 cables, which grossly violated the requirements of international rules and created an extremely dangerous situation.
On September 21, the Russian Su-27 fighter (from the temporarily occupied territory of the Crimea, flight number 30) created the preconditions for an emergency in the air, approaching the dangerous distance with the military transport aircraft of the An-26 Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which fulfilled the scheduled task above the Black Sea water area.
Search and rescue vessel ‘Donbass’ and the sea tug ‘Korets’ continue to perform tasks. From the Kerch Strait, they are protected by small armored boats ‘Lubny’ and ‘Kremenchuk’. The appropriate forces and means of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, including the air force, are also prepared to respond to possible threats.
We thank the public for the attention and apologize for the fact that the official information was provided with a delay, due to the safety of the crews of the ships. The Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine will not allow the aggressor country to make the Sea of ​​Azov its inland lake

Press Center Command of the Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine