Russia formally charges Ukrainian servicemen as tensions increase after naval clash off Crimea

Kiev is enacting martial law in 10 border regions, following the Russian seizure of three of its military vessels

Russia has begun formally charging the Ukrainian servicemen it detained after seizing three naval vessels near the Sea of Azov on Sunday.

The first man to be charged on border violation crimes was Vladimir Varimez (b. 1992). A court in Simferopol, Crimea upheld a request by Russian prosecutors to formally arrest him until 26 January. The court is expected to make similar rulings on 12 of the 24 detained servicemen over the the course of Tuesday.

Ukraine has denied its boats ever entered Russian territorial waters, and distress signals were received from the boats when they were clearly in shared waters.

On Monday, the Ukrainian parliament voted for martial law in 10 border areas, for a period of 30 days,

The eventual version of the law was a much watered-down version of the original proposal Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko put to lawmakers. The Independent understands that several last-minute concessions were made to make the vote pass.

But on Tuesday, Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, told reporters that even the reduced martial law could be enough to trigger a flare-up in hostilities in the east.

“It is an internal affair for Ukraine, but … martial law in a number of regions could potentially present a risk for escalation of tensions in the … south-east,” he said.

Similar predictions have been followed by renewed fighting in the past.

Ukrainian troops have been fighting Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine since 2014. The hostilities have largely died down from the highs of 2014-15. But even after signing a peace agreement in 2015, fighting continues in several hotspots.

The Russian-backed separatists are heavily dependent on supply chains, finance and expertise. The vast bulk of evidence suggests Russia provides these. In September, the OSCE monitoring mission to Ukraine released footage that appeared to show military vehicles crossing the border from Russia to Ukraine at an unofficial crossing point.

Mr Peskov said that he saw no reason for direct negotiations between Mr Putin and Mr Poroshenko, since the situation was “already regulated.”

Russia has yet to return either seized boats or crews. On Monday, it released footage showing several crew members confessing to having encroached on Russian territorial waters. At least one of the servicemen appears to be reading from a prompter, and seems almost to be laughing at one point.

​On Monday, Russian officials announced they intended to press criminal charges against the 24 arrested servicemen for "illegally entering Russian territorial waters."

Mr Peskov said the Russian president would be making a statement on the matter “when he is ready.”