Rada approves martial law in ten regions after Kerch Strait clash
A retrospective on the parliamentary vote that followed the seizure of three Ukrainian Navy vessels.
What did Ukraine's parliament decide after the clash in the Kerch Strait? On 26 November 2018, the Verkhovna Rada approved the introduction of martial law in 10 oblasts for a period of 30 days, to take effect from 28 November 2018.
The vote came a day after the incident of 25 November 2018. As reported at the time, a Russian border guard ship, the Don, rammed the Ukrainian Navy tug Yani Kapu near the Kerch Strait while a group of Ukrainian naval boats was moving from Odesa to Mariupol. Russian forces then opened fire on the group. Three Ukrainian vessels were seized, and 23 sailors were taken prisoner, six of them wounded.
The Rada's decision answered what it described as aggression by Russian border vessels against Ukrainian Navy ships. The measure covered 10 oblasts and was limited to 30 days.
Later accounts of the incident describe it as the first time Russian forces had openly engaged Ukrainian forces during the Russo-Ukrainian War. They say the Ukrainian vessels had been trying to pass from the Black Sea into the Sea of Azov on their way to Mariupol.
