Moscow, November 28
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday accused Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko of orchestrating a naval “provocation” in the Black Sea at the weekend in order to boost his flagging popularity ratings before an election next year.
Russia seized three Ukrainian naval vessels and their crews on Sunday over what it said was their illegal entry into Russian waters, something Ukraine denies. The episode has raised fears in the West of a wider conflict between the two countries and Kiev has since introduced martial law in parts of the country, saying it fears a possible Russian invasion. Some of Ukraine's Western allies have raised the possibility of imposing new sanctions on Russia over the incident, which could deliver a blow to the Russian economy.
In his first public comments on the incident, Putin said the Ukrainian vessels had clearly been in the wrong, dismissed the incident as a minor border issue, and accused Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko of having orchestrated the mini crisis in order to boost his dire ratings. “It was without doubt a provocation,” Putin told a financial forum in Moscow. "It was organised by the President ahead of the elections. The president is in fifth place ratings-wise and therefore had to do something. It was used as a pretext to introduce martial law."
Ukraine was successfully using the episode to sell anti-Russian sentiment and the West was ready to forgive Ukrainian politicians their shortcomings because it bought into the narrative Kiev was promoting, said Putin. The Russian leader was speaking after Moscow said it would send more of its advanced S-400 surface-to-air missile systems to Crimea, the Ukrainian region it annexed in 2014, and a Reuters reporter saw a Russian warship deploying nearby as tensions with Ukraine rose.
Fallout from the episode risks derailing a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Putin at a G20 summit in Argentina this week. On Tuesday, Trump said he might cancel the meeting, but Putin said on Wednesday he still hoped to meet Trump. — Reuters
Martial law comes into effect in Kiev
- Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Wednesday signed an Act introducing martial law after Russia’s seizure of three of Kiev's navy vessels sparked the worst crisis in years between the neighbours. “The President has signed the law,” spokesman Svyatoslav Tsegolko wrote on Facebook.
- Martial law is being adopted in 10 regions that adjoin either Russia’s borders or areas controlled by Moscow-backed separatists, as well as along the coast of the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea.
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