Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov speaking on November 26 at a news conference in Moscow about the situation in the Kerch Strait following the November 25 escalation of tensions between Ukraine and Russia in the area after it fired on two Ukrainian warships, wounding six crew members, before seizing the vessels along with a Ukrainian Navy tugboat:
"Key points of international law have been violated [eds: Russia insists it was Ukraine that violated the norms in the first place] -- not just the maritime law, but international law in general, including the UN Charter, the Law of the Sea Convention of 1982, and other international legal tools that impose multiple obligations on all countries to respect the sovereignty of another state."
"The fact that this violation took place -- and it occurred involving rather dangerous methods on top of that, such as maneuvering in a narrow strait -- obviously could have and has posed risks to a normal movement of ships in these waters."
