The recent incident with a Russian missile in the Black Sea cannot serve as a basis for early withdrawal of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation from Ukraine's Crimea, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry press secretary Vasyl Kyrylych told a news briefing Tuesday.
Ukraine is a law-governed state strictly abiding by the agreements reached, he said reminding that the Black Sea Fleet was contracted to stay in Ukraine until 2017.
At the same time, he observed that all of the fleet maneuvers take a compulsory approval of Ukraine's bodies in charge. This time Ukrainian Armed Forces command received no appeals from Russia. "Thus, the testing proceeded illegally," the press secretary stated. In his opinion, this naturally "aggravates the question of fleet functioning, as well as bilateral relations and dialogue on the stay of the BSF in the territory of Ukraine." Such cases need an obligatory investigation, as they involve security issues, Kyrylych said. In this context he reminded that last year, as a result of a shot from BSF's landing ship, a shell flew over Sevastopol and fortunately exploded outside the city. In the press secretary's opinion, it is necessary to negotiate possible aftereffects of such moves, and take measures to prevent them.
As reported, an aircraft anti-submarine missile was found near the village of Pryvitne, Alushta district, Crimea, on April 27. Representatives of the Russian Black Sea Fleet provided documents confirming that the missile belonged to the fleet. As it became known later, a research boat of the Russian Black Sea Fleet conducted tests, which were not agreed with Ukraine, near the P-34 military training ground on April 15, 2008. The missile was then lost.
On May 5, Ukraine's Foreign Ministry handed a note of protest to envoy of Russia's embassy in Ukraine, Vsevolod Loskutov, due to the tests of an aircraft anti-submarine torpedo by the Russian Black Sea Fleet, as Russia provided no information about that. According to the note, such actions are contrary to basic agreements on the conditions for the fleet's stay in Ukraine, and it is demanded that explanations on the incident be rendered to Ukraine.
At the same time, Russia's Embassy to Ukraine has circulated a statement by the liaison department of the Black Sea Fleet saying that the missile found in Crimea was just a moulage posing no threat to people or environment.
