"Russia wants to take the Sea of Azov and Kerch Strait for itself, and so it has built a great gate at the entrance to keep international shipping out while allowing small Russian river vessels in," Ukrainian representative Anton Korynevych told a panel of arbitrators.
"The bridge is unlawful and it must come down," Korynevych told the arbitration panel, emphasizing Ukraine's stance on the illegitimacy of the structure built by Russia.
Ukraine filed the case in 2016, two years after Russia annexed Crimea. It accused Moscow of subsequently breaching a UN maritime treaty by building the bridge, barring Ukrainian fishermen from waters they traditionally fished, damaging the environment and plundering underwater archaeological sites.
Russia insists the arbitration court does not have jurisdiction. It says that if its five judges decide they do have jurisdiction, the court should dismiss Ukraine's claims.
#kerch-strait #sea-of-azov #ukraine-russia-conflict #international-law #permanent-court-of-arbitration
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