The Kremlin on Thursday denied a Ukrainian allegation that Russia was restricting shipping near Crimea as part of what Kiev said was a de facto blockade of its ports on the Sea of Azov.
Ukraine’s infrastructure minister, Volodymyr Omelyan, earlier on Thursday accused Russia of barring ships from leaving and entering the sea, days after Moscow seized three Ukrainian naval vessels and their crews.
The Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also commented on Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko urging NATO to send ships to Azov sea, saying that the request is “aimed at causing tension and continuing provocations.”
Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014