Ukrainian courts rule to seize over 100 planes, 50 ships illegally entering Russia-occupied Crimea (Video)

Ukraine's Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova says Ukrainian courts have handed down rulings in 2020 to seize 104 planes that performed flights to Russia-occupied Crimea contrary to international and Ukrainian laws, as well as 50 vessels that illegally called at the peninsula's seaports.

Read alsoUkraine's FM Kuleba: Tikhanovskaya must decide on her position on CrimeaShe made the comment during a video address on December 18.

Venediktova reiterated that the airspace and territorial waters within the Crimean peninsula are the exclusive territory of Ukraine.

"This year, at the initiative of prosecutors, the courts ruled to seize 104 aircraft, which, contrary to international law and Ukrainian legislation, are used by Russian operators for flights to Ukraine's Crimea," she said.

Moreover, 50 vessels flying flags of foreign states, which illegally called at Crimea's closed seaports, were to be seized as well.

"The next step will be to ask our international partners to take relevant actions against violators in line with international law," she added.

Russian occupation of Crimea

• Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimea in March 2014 after its troops had occupied the peninsula. An illegal referendum was held for Crimeans to decide on accession to Russia. De-facto Crimean authorities reported that allegedly 96.77% of the Crimean population had voted for joining Russia.
• On March 18, 2014, the so-called agreement on the accession of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol to Russia was signed in the Kremlin.
• The West did not recognize the annexation in response to which sanctions against Russia were introduced.
• Ukraine's parliament voted to designate February 20, 2014, as the official date when the temporary occupation of Crimea began.