Russian leader Vladimir Putin Putin is itching to grab hold of another piece of Ukraine, president Petro Poroshenko said in an interview to the German newspaper Bild.
“Our marine does keep within the international law. We have all the evidence on the table and everyone can see that it is the Russian soldiers who attacked our navy men. After the act we had to react; I declared martial law in some regions, as we have to defend our country. Like in 2014, Putin wants to cut off another part of Ukraine, he behaves the same way as he was acting then,” Poroshenko said.
According to the Ukrainian president, Putin views himself as an emperor and takes Ukraine for a colony.
The country asked NATO countries to send several ships to the Black Sea for ensuring global security, he added.
On November 25, three Ukrainian ships were captured by the Russian special forces in the Kerch Strait. According to Ukrainian media, Russia took prisoner 24 people, 6 sailors were injured. In response, 30-day martial law has been introduced in 10 regions of Ukraine — those bordering Russia, Transnistria and the Black Sea coast, as well as in Chernihiv region bordering Belarus. In turn, Putin called the incident ‘provocation staged by Poroshenko ahead of the presidential election in Ukraine’.
- Armed Forces of Ukraine on full combat alert after incident in Sea of Azov
- Russia may wage full-scale war on Ukraine – Poroshenko
- Belarus’ being tight-lipped about Kerch Strait conflict is best option – expert
ЮВ, belsat.eu
