According to Reuters, the three ships were towed by the Strait of Kerch in the direction of the Black Sea: Russia has apparently begun to return to Ukraine three Ukrainian military boats set just a year ago. The TV channel of the Russian Ministry of Defense Zwezda showed a video in which the Ukrainian boats are pulled under the Kerch bridge towards Ukraine.
Кадры прохода украинских катеров под Крымским мостом
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Previously, the Russian newspaper "Kommersant" had reported that Moscow had decided to hand over the boats to Ukraine. According to Andrei Yermak, an advisor to the Ukrainian president, the process of returning the boats is in the "final stage". According to the Russian news agency Interfax, the handover will take place on Monday.
On November 25, last year, one of the Ukrainian boats was rammed by the Russian border patrol, which is subordinate to the FSB, in front of the strait of Kerch, the ships were then arrested. Shots were fired. The incident was considered an escalation in the Crimean crisis. Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula belonging to Ukraine in 2014.
The 24 Marines, who were on board the three ships and were remanded in custody, were initially charged with illegally crossing the border. In September, however, they were released as part of a prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine.
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Meanwhile, the Kremlin announced, according to Reuters, that a planned summit on the Ukraine conflict, in which representatives of the two parties to the conflict, as well as Germany and France, should take place this year. France had announced on Friday that the so-called Normandy Summit should take place in Paris on 9 December, but Moscow had not confirmed this.
