Crew of seized Crimean vessel at large – media

Crew of seized Crimean vessel at large – media
07 April 2018 https://www.unian.info/society/10072478-crew-of-seized-crimean-vessel-at...

The crew must come for questioning to the SBU Security Service department on April 10 in connection with the captain's case.

The crew of the Crimean-registered Nord fishing vessel seized by the Ukrainian Border Guard Service in the Sea of Azov on March 25 is at large. "The crew, except for the captain, is at large. Now they are all in Mariupol, but they must come for questioning to the SBU Security Service department on April 10 in connection with the captain's case," said Anna Sheveleva, the representative of the ship owner, RIA Novosti reports.
On the eve, the Mariupol court imposed administrative fines on the crew under Part 2 Article 332-1 (violation of entry/exit rules into/from temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, reads the report.

As UNIAN reported earlier, the Russian-flagged and Crimea-registered fishing vessel Nord operated by a crew of 10 was seized by the Ukrainian Border Guard Service in the Sea of Azov on March 25 on charges of infringements on the Ukrainian border crossing rules in relation to the occupied territory. The vessel and crew were brought to the Ukrainian port of Berdyansk.

The Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine announced that the captain of the Nord, who turned to be a citizen of Ukraine, was indicted under Part 2 of Article 332-1 (violation of entry/exit rules into/from temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

Moscow demanded the immediate release of the "illegally" detained crew and the return of the vessel to its legitimate owner, accusing Ukraine of "piracy."

Moscow also threatened to use Russia's Black Sea fleet and navy aviation to ensure secure navigation for Russian vessels in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.