MINSK, Belarus (AP) — Ukraine is accusing Russia of keeping up the blockade of the Kerch Strait that links the Black Sea with the Sea of Azov.
The Ukrainian Border Guard Service said Friday that more than 140 ships were stuck on both sides of the strait due to excessive checks and delays on the Russian side. Officials accused Russia of creating a bottleneck for Ukrainian ships and preventing them from passing.
Tensions between Russia and Ukraine flared last month when Russian border guards opened fire on three Ukrainian navy vessels that were moving through the Kerch Strait and seized them and their crews.
The Nov. 25 incident in the Black Sea was the latest escalation in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine that began in 2014 when Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean peninsula.
