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Moscow's Lefortovo district court has extended the detention term for 12 captive Ukrainian sailors until April 24.

Three judges are considering cases of the Ukrainian citizens in fours, namely there are four prisoners of war in each courtroom, according to an UNIAN correspondent in the Russian Federation.

Read alsoRussia wants to hold "court hearings" on captive Ukrainian sailors behind closed doors – lawyer

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At the moment, the decisions of the judges have been announced in the following order: the first four: Serhiy Tsybizov, Andriy Oprysko, Yevhen Semydotsky, Roman Mokriak; the second four: Andriy Shevchenko, Bohdan Holovash, Serhiy Popov, Volodymyr Tereshchenko; the third four: Mykhailo Vlasiuk, Denys Hrytsenko, Andriy Drach, Viacheslav Zinchenko.

The judges said the decision could be appealed to the Moscow City Court.

Andriy Eyder and other Ukrainian sailors after court hearings in Russia

As UNIAN reported earlier, on the morning of November 25, Russia blocked the passage to the Kerch Strait for the Ukrainian tugboat "Yany Kapu" and two armored naval boats "Berdyansk" and "Nikopol," which were on a scheduled re-deployment from the Black Sea port of Odesa to the Azov Sea port of Mariupol.

The Ukraine Navy Command noted that the Russian side had been informed of the plans to re-deploy the vessels in advance in accordance with international standards to ensure the safety of navigation. The Russian coast guard ship "Don" rammed the Ukrainian tugboat, damaging the Ukrainian vessel.

As the Ukrainian boats were heading back in the Odesa direction after being rejected passage via the Kerch Strait, Russian coast guards opened aimed fire on them.

All 24 crew members on board were captured and later remanded in custody for two months, being charged with "illegal border crossing" (the sailors are facing up to six years in prison). Three crewmen were wounded in the attack.

Russian-controlled "courts" in occupied Crimea ruled that all 24 detainees should be remanded in custody, after which they were transferred to the Moscow-based Lefortovo and Matrosskaya Tishina detention centers.