Russia-Ukraine crisis: Kiev declares martial law as world powers condemn the seizure of ships by Putin's forces near Crimea
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Martial law was imposed in Ukraine for 30 days as president Petro Poroshenko warned of the “extremely serious” threat of a Russian land invasion.
The parliament voted in favour of the measure on Monday night in response to the capture of three Ukrainian navy vessels and twenty-three crew members by Russian ships near the Kerch Strait.
Russia’s actions were also condemned at emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council, where US representative Nikki Haley described the incident as an “outrageous violation of sovereign Ukrainian territory.”
The secretary-general of Nato, Jens Stoltenberg, also said there was “no justification” for the seizure of the Ukrainian ships and sailors.
Meanwhile there there violent protests in Kiev and demonstrations outside Russian embassies across the world, including in London, Washington DC and Brussels.
It marked an escalation of tensions that have soared since Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in 2014 and backed a separatist insurgency in eastern Ukraine.
Ukraine said its vessels were heading to the Sea of Azov in line with international maritime rules, while Russia charged that they had failed to obtain a permission to pass through the Kerch Strait separating Crimea from the Russian mainlan
It is the only passage between the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. It is spanned by a 11.8 mile bridge that Russia completed this year.
While a 2003 treaty designates the Kerch Strait and Sea of Azov as shared territorial waters, Russia has sought to assert greater control over the passage since the annexation of Crimea.
The seizure of the Ukrainian ships followed a tense situation in which the three Ukrainian vessels were manoeuvring near the Kerch Strait for hours shadowed by Russian coast guard boats.
Following the capture of the Ukrainian ships on Sunday, Russia closed the Kerch Strait for sea traffic by positioning a tanker under the bridge spanning it. It reopened the route early Monday.
If you want to read how the situation developed, please read our live coverage below.
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More from the statement by Nikki Haley, the US representative to the UN, which is published in full here.
"We call on Russia to respect its international obligations and not obstruct or harass Ukraine’s transit in the Kerch Strait and to de-escalate the tension it has created. As President Trump said many times, the United States would welcome a normal relationship with Russia. But outlaw actions like this one continue to make that impossible.
"The United States will maintain its Crimea-related sanctions against Russia. Further Russian escalation of this kind will only make matters worse. It will further undermine Russia’s standing in the world. It will further sour Russia’s relations with the US and many other countries. It will further increase tensions with Ukraine.
"In the name of international peace and security, Russia must immediately cease its unlawful conduct and respect the navigational rights and freedoms of all states."
Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg said Ukraine's president Petro Poroshenko told him over the phone that "the introduction of martial law will not hinder the working of the democratic institutions". It had been suggested that Mr Poroshenko's aim was to postpone the elections due in March next year.
The full statement from the head of Nato this afternoon is here. He called for "calm and restraint" while expressing the allies' support for Ukraine and calling for Russia to withdraw its forces from Ukrainian territory.
The Ukrainian foreign minister suggests that the incident may be preparation for the full blockade of Ukraine's coast on the Black Sea.
Further details about the three injured sailors have been reported on Ukrainian media. The men, aged 18, 24 and 27, are in hospital in Kerch, in Russian-controlled Crimea.
The FSB, Russia's security services, has issued a statement claiming that the Ukrainian ships illegally entered Russian waters, ignored warning shots and aimed their guns at Russian ships.
Their statement (published online here, in Russian) includes a detailed timeline of what they say happened during the incident.
In a separate statement it claims that "the provocative actions of the Ukrainian Navy ships were carried out on the direct instructions of the Kiev authorities."
"The provocation was coordinated by two officers of the Security Service of Ukraine, seconded to the crews of military boats," the FSB statement adds.
The martial law decree is still being debated by Ukraine's parliament. Concerns have been raised about restrictions on citizens' rights.
Breaking: Poroshenko has his martial law - 276 votes for, just 30 against - after some minor concessions
UPD: major concession in the law is that it will cover not all of Ukraine, but areas "subject to Russian aggression"
The International Monetary Fund has said that introducing martial law would have no bearing on its continued cooperation with Ukraine.
Ukraine is hoping for further support from the IMF to help stabilise the country following Russia's annexation of the Crimea in 2014. An initial $17bn bailout fund was frozen in 2017 after Ukraine failed to follow through on the required reforms.
Here is our developing story on the approval of martial law in Ukraine for 30 days in response to the clash with Russia.
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