Good morning. We'll get the live blog rolling today with this look-ahead item from our news desk:

The Hague Arbitration Court To Hear Arguments In Ukraine-Russia Sea Dispute

The Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in the Netherlands is set to begin hearings of Kyiv's case against Moscow's alleged violations of its rights to coastal waters around Ukraine's Crimea region, which Russia seized in 2014.

Russian representatives are set to present Russia's objections in the case before the court in The Hague on June 10.

Ukraine will present its arguments on June 11. The second stage of the debate will take place on June 13-14.

The PCA is the world's oldest institution for the arbitration and resolution of disputes involving states.

Ukraine filed the case at the court in September 2016, accusing Russia of violating the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea concerning its coastal rights in the Black Sea, the Sea of Azov, and the Kerch Strait.

Kyiv asked the arbitration tribunal to "enforce its maritime rights by ordering the Russian Federation to cease its internationally wrongful actions in the relevant waters."

Russia seized control of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in March 2014 and began supporting separatists in eastern Ukraine in a conflict that has killed some 13,000 people.

Ukraine and its Western backers have accused Russia of illegally restricting the passage of Ukrainian ships through the Kerch Strait, which is the sole passage from the Black Sea to the Sea of Azov.

In November, Russia seized three Ukrainian naval vessels and captured 24 Ukrainian seamen near the Kerch Strait, prompting international condemnation.

In Hamburg, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea last month ruled that Russia must "immediately" release the Ukrainian sailors and vessels.

The Kremlin dismissed the ruling, saying Moscow would continue to "consistently defend its point of view."

This ends our live blogging for June 9. Be sure to check back tomorrow for our continuing coverage.