Hearings on Russia’s violation of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea continue in The Hague

On October 3, hearings in the case of Ukraine against the Russian Federation regarding the violation of the right of the coastal state in accordance with the provisions of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea of ​​1982 will continue in The Hague.

On this day, Ukraine will have the final word in court, while the Russian side will speak on October 5. This was reported by the correspondent of “Ukrinform”.

The hearing will address the merits of the case as well as the remaining issues of jurisdiction and admissibility of the claim. The opening and closing statements of both sides are public, and the open portions of the hearings are also broadcast live.

We will remind, on September 23, hearings began in The Hague on the merits of the case, in the framework of which Ukraine accuses Russia of violating the rights of the coastal state in accordance with the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. The hearing will last until October 5.

In addition, it is worth recalling the events of November 25, 2018, when three Ukrainian ships – “Berdyansk”, “Nikopol” and the tug “Yana Kapu” – carried out a planned transition from Odesa to Mariupol. A Russian border boat rammed the Yana Kapu tugboat near the Kerch Strait. After that, Russian combat helicopters and aircraft appeared above the Ukrainian ships, and a tanker was placed in the way of the ships, which completely blocked the passage through the strait.

The Ukrainian ships decided to return to Odessa, but in the neutral waters of the Black Sea, special forces of the FSB of the Russian Federation opened fire on the Ukrainian boat Berdyansk and captured all three ships. As a result, six Ukrainian soldiers were injured.

Captured Ukrainian ships were towed to the port in the city of Kerch, and their crews were arrested.

In response to this incident, the Armed Forces of Ukraine were put on full combat alert. After the meeting of the National Security and Defense Council, on November 26, President Poroshenko submitted to the Verkhovna Rada a draft law on the introduction of martial law in Ukraine, which was approved by the parliament.

On November 27, the president signed a law on martial law, which was introduced for 30 days — until December 26 — in the regions bordering Russia, as well as the demarcation line with the ORDLO and illegally annexed Crimea.