Russia will return three captured naval ships to Ukraine on Monday and is moving them to a handover location agreed with Kiev, Crimea’s border guard service was cited as saying by Russian news agencies on Sunday.
A Reuters reporter in Crimea, which Russian annexed from Ukraine in 2014, earlier on Sunday saw coastguard boats pulling the three vessels through the Kerch Strait towards the Black Sea where they could potentially be handed over to Ukraine.
Ukraine has been pushing for their return as a good will gesture from Moscow ahead of a possible four-way peace summit on eastern Ukraine next month.
“In accordance with agreements reached with Ukraine three Ukrainian ships … are being towed to a location agreed with the Ukrainian side for their handover, which will take place on Nov. 18,” Crimea’s border service said on Sunday, according to Russian news agencies.
Crimea’s border service was not immediately available for comment on Sunday.
Russia seized the ships off the coast of Crimea in November last year after opening fire on them and wounding several sailors. Moscow said the ships – two small Ukrainian armored artillery vessels and a tug boat – had illegally entered its territorial waters. Kiev denied that.
Russia returned the sailors who had been on board the ships to Ukraine in September as part of a prisoner exchange deal.
Russia’s Kommersant newspaper reported on Saturday that Moscow had decided to return the ships to Ukraine and that they would be towed into the Black Sea and handed over to Ukraine.
Various Russian media outlets have reported that the ships will be returned to Ukraine without their ammunition and documentation.
The move, if it happens, will be seen as a confidence-building measure ahead of the planned Ukraine summit.
The leaders of France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine will meet in Paris on Dec. 9 in an attempt to advance efforts for a peaceful resolution to the conflict in eastern Ukraine, the French presidency said on Friday.
A Kremlin aide was less equivocal on Sunday, saying such a summit was possible this year but that no date had yet been agreed.
More than 13,000 people have been killed in the more than five-year-old conflict in east Ukraine between pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian government forces.
Relations between Ukraine and Russia collapsed following Moscow’s annexation of the Crimean peninsula, which prompted Western sanctions. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy won a landslide election victory in April promising to end the conflict.
(c) The Moscow Times
‘…Crimea’s border guard service was cited…’
What border? 😀
Yeah, exactly. Ukraine doesn’t have a border with Crimea.
“Various Russian media outlets have reported that the ships will be returned to Ukraine without their ammunition and documentation.”
There will be a lot more missing from these ships, I doubt they are more than an empty shell once the scum have pilfered everything. Withholding documentation, or evidence, is yet another crime to add to the ever growing list, along with stealing ammunition that was on board.
We could bet the Moskali even took the toilets, that’s what Moskali do…
Or they left some bad ass floaters in the pots…
Probably the first thing they took. Pirates always go for the valuable items first. LMAO
Bhaaaahaaaaahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
Why complain, they have replaced them with first class Russian toilets 😀
https://c8.alamy.com/comp/AYPE8X/wooden-outdoor-toilet-in-mountains-of-southern-kamchatka-in-russian-AYPE8X.jpg
Too modern. Looks more like a swedish shithouse. 😊
One easy way to check, does it have loo paper? LMAO
It has a bookshelf, first read then wipe. LMAO!
I wonder what Alina would have said if I offered her a shithouse like that, and an outhouse shower with cold water 😀
“Feels like home.” …? 😂
Outdoor showers are very popular in Ukraine. My next door neighbour has a cold shower outside every day, winter or summer.
Hopefully no windows. LMFAO!
Nope, just a corrugated box, and a bucket. LMAO
A bucket? What is that for? Take a shit and shower at the same time? LMAO!
A Ukrainian outside shower, has nothing to do with a shower, basically you tip a bucket of cold water over your head. LMAO
And then die from a cold? Brrrrr! Then i prefer no shower. LMFAO!
Alina had a outside shower at her swimming pool out in the garden, but only for use in the summer 🙂
She’s not a real Ukrainian then. Real Ukrainians go for a shower with snow on the ground. 😂😂
No, her grandparents are Jews from Russia, but she’s born in Kharkov 🙂
She’s half Ukrainian then, probably the half that doesn’t like cold showers. 😁
Since she’s religious she has to take a cold bath in January, we found a hole in the ice last January 😀
Did you join her? 😂
No, I only took the photos of that idiotic stunt 😀
If he found the hole… 😂
I always find the right hole 😀
Like Obama. 😂
If anyone needed it, it would be Knut…
Kharkov is the Russian spelling.
Kharkiv is the Ukrainian spelling.
I knew you were Russian! ;))
You catched me there, now it’s no longer any doubt 😀
I will let it go this time…
Got an up vote from Scradge before. Let’s hope he rejoins us soon.
We need Scradge. This is a good example of why we need to stick to Ukrainian issues because we are all united in supporting Ukraine. Topics like Brexit and Trump just divide people and Putler wins.
True, but sometimes politicians don’t help themselves. Why hide a report away until after the election? The public deserve to know what is going on with Muscovy, after all, they are supposed to be working for the public that elected them.
I continue to read the excellent articles on your site redders old chap. But I do not interact for the reasons I explained in my last comments. But you still have my 110% support and I never say never about posting articles and commenting in the future.
Well I’m sorry you were damaged Sir Scradge. I wish well to everyone on our team. We need a strong team to fight the Putinazis and that fight is bigger than any one of us. Take care old chap and see you soon. Slava Ukraini~~!!
Missing? I fear there will be more installed on these ships than before, mainly spyware and sabotage devices.
According to other reports, all the electronic equipment has been taken out, obviously it contains incriminating evidence. As for these ships, better just to scrap them.
https://kerch.fm/uploads/posts/2019-11/1573996144_1573983352_img_9544-1024×768-ker.jpg
There they go, Picture from Krech Crimea.
That’s a common sight. Muscovy can’t move ships without them being towed.
https://kerch.fm/uploads/posts/2019-11/1573890140_022418210_prevstill_83114600.jpeg
Kerch FM report about the lack of water. picture of a Crimean River today
Cry me a river 😉
That is what the RTrolls say to mock Ukrainians about losing Crimea…
It’s the only way all the Russians can fill the river with water 😀
“The leaders of France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine will meet in Paris on Dec. 9 ”
The mafiosi will try to use the return of the vessels as a “kind” gesture to strengthen their standpoint.
The European nematodes will concur.
“More than 13,000 people have been killed in the more than five-year-old conflict in east Ukraine…”
Sadly, this has always been irrelevant for the European eunuchs.
The jellyfish will be fawning all over the KGB dwarf, forgetting that Muscovy were ordered to return these ships intact over 6 months ago.
They have to be towed………..Might as well tow them straight to the scrapyard, it will cost more to refit than build new and you can’t guarantee the absence of spyware.
Fucking thieving vatniki bastards.