9 December 2018 — Strategic Culture Foundation
On November 25, two artillery boats of the Gyurza-M class, the Berdiansk and Nikopol, one tugboat, the Yany Kapu, as well as 24 crew members of the Ukrainian Navy, including two SBU counterintelligence officers, were detained by Russian border forces. In the incident, the Russian Federation employed Sobol-class patrol boats Izumrud and Don, as well as two Ka-52, two Su-25 and one Su-30 aircraft.
6 December 2018 — NEO
The intentional provocation executed by Kiev saw three Ukrainian naval vessels seized by Russia. The vessels were intentionally violating protocol for passing through the Strait – protocol previously agreed upon by Kiev and previously observed by Ukrainian naval vessels.
3 December 2018 — Voltaire Network
Valentin Vasilescu, an expert on military affairs, comments on the role of the Israeli and US reconnaissance planes in the incident at Kertch. These facts have been confirmed by the Russian FSB (which the Russian Federation’s Coast-Guards depend on) and which has disclosed videos recorded during the interrogations of the captured Ukrainian marines and a document seized on board one of their ships.
Continue reading
30 November 2018 — Strategic Culture Foundation
Ever since Ukraine’s 2014 Maidan revolution, which resulted in a usurpation of power micromanaged directly from Washington, nothing happens in Kiev without the Western powers knowing about it. And that would certainly include playing a reckless game of chicken with Moscow.
30 November 2018 — Voltaire Net
Russia has made public three interrogations of Ukrainian marines taken prisoner during the Kertch incident on 25 November 2018 and a document (photo) seized on board one of the ships.
27 November 2018 — Moon of Alabama
The Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko’s attempted to shore up his approval rate for the upcoming election by provoking a military incident. It was a gamble and it failed.
Three Ukrainian boats, a tug and two gun boats, attempted to sail from the Black Sea through the Kerch Strait into the Sea of Azov. The Kerch Strait is territorial Russian water since Crimea voted to join Russia. “Innocent passage” is allowed but necessitates following the laws and regulations of the territorial country.
28 November 2018 — Strategic Culture Foundation
Trouble has been brewing in the Sea of Azov all year. It started with Ukraine’s seizing a Russian fishing boat and detaining its crew in March. The Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko canceled the Friendship Treaty with Russia. After that he has accepted surplus US naval vessels to prop up a navy that exists in name only.
27 November 2018 — South Front
Written by J.Hawk exclusively for SouthFront
The sharp but almost bloodless clash between Ukrainian naval forces consisting of two armored gunboats and a tug, and Russian maritime border guards has naturally acquired significance well in excess of the actual magnitude of the incident. It is proving to be a “reality check” showing the current priorities of each of the interested actors.
Continue reading
27 November 2018 — Asia Times
The West is complaining about Russian ‘aggression’ but the incident looks more like a cheap ploy by a desperate Ukrainian president and US conservatives keen to undermine Trump’s next pow-wow with Putin
27 November 2018 — South Front
On November 27th, Ukraine’s state security agency confirmed that its intelligence officers were among the crew of the seized Ukrainian ships.
According to the SBU’s statement the officers were fulfilling counterintelligence operations for the Ukrainian navy, in response to “psychological and physical pressure” by Russian spy services. No details were provided, however it demanded that Russia stop any such activity.
27 November 2018 — WSWS
Following Russia’s capture of three Ukrainian vessels on Sunday in the Azov Sea, the Ukrainian government, at the behest of President Petro Poroshenko and the War Cabinet, has introduced martial law starting November 28 for 30 days. On Monday, the Ukrainian armed forces also announced that they were fully combat ready. Meanwhile, US media foreign policy and think tank officials have been beating the war drum, urging a “tough” response to alleged “Russian aggression” by the Ukraine, NATO and the US.
27 November, 2018 — NEO
Russia has seized three Ukrainian military vessels violating its territory near Russia’s newly completed Crimean Bridge. The incident is a clear provocation carried out by Kiev and possibly engineered by Kiev’s Western sponsors – particularly those in Washington and London.
25 November 2018 — Moon of Alabama
Updated below
—
The Ukrainian government under the oligarch Petro Poroshenko is in election campaign mode. That is one reason why it is launching new provocations against Russia. Yesterday Ukrainian forces reportedly occupied a town within the neutral zone between the government controlled part and the rebel held Donetsk area. Today the Ukrainian navy sent a tug and two small gun boats, recently acquired from the U.S. Coast Guard, Ukrainian build Gurza-M class types, to pass through the Kerch Strait into the Sea of Azov.
The New Dark Age 