Russian forces fulfilled 'military duty' in stopping Ukraine ships: Putin

MOSCOW: President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday said Russia’s border guards were “fulfilling their military duty” when they seized three Ukrainian ships off Crimea last week.

“They were fulfilling their military duty. They were fulfilling their lawful functions in protecting Russia’s borders,” Putin told an investment forum in Moscow.

On Sunday, Russian forces fired on, boarded and captured three of Kiev’s ships, sparking the most dangerous crisis between the ex-Soviet neighbours in years.

Moscow also captured 24 Ukrainian sailors.

Putin called the incident a Kiev-orchestrated “provocation“, and said the Ukrainian vessels did not respond to warnings from Russian border guards.

“Military vessels intruded into Russian territorial waters and did not answer (the border guards)... What were they supposed to do?”, he said.

“They would do the same in your country, this is absolutely obvious,” he added, responding to a question from a foreign investor.

The Ukrainian ships were trying to pass through the Kerch Strait from the Black Sea into the Sea of Azov.

“These territorial waters were always ours, even before Crimea joined Russia,” Putin said, referring to Moscow’s 2014 annexation of the peninsula.

Western governments have rallied behind Kiev in the dispute, accusing Russia of illegally blocking access to the Sea of Azov and of taking military action without justification.

US President Donald Trump has said he may cancel a long-awaited summit with Putin at the G20 this week as a result of the confrontation.