“A Nuisance for the State”

“ The presence of the Russian Federation’s Black Sea Fleet on the territory of Ukraine jeopardizes our national interests,” Chairman of Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU), Oleksandr Turchynov, said rather angrily during a television interview. He also said the current stationing of the Russian military on Ukraine’s territory was “a nuisance for the state.” Incidentally, this is in no way the first incident of this kind in the Crimea: a few years ago Russian marines chose the peninsula as an exercise ground without notifying the Ukrainian authorities.

This statement was made after a Russian Black Sea warship crossed the state border of Ukraine last Thursday. The SBU chief noted that “in such matters as territorial integrity and sovereignty, there is no place for noble gestures: a tough and adequate stance is called for.” On March 23 the Novorossiysk-based Russian Black Sea landing ship Nikolai Filchenkov crossed the state border of Ukraine, without notifying or obtaining permission from Ukraine, approached the Crimean coast off Cape Opuk, and began an over-the-beach landing operation. Vice- Admiral Ihor Kniaz, Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Navy, got in touch with Vice-Admiral Aleksandr Tatarinov, Commanding Officer of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, after which the Nikolai Filchenkov stopped its illegal actions. Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry lost no time in reacting: it summoned Russia’s chargО d’affaires in Ukraine, Yevgeniy Panteleyev, and handed him a note demanding an explanation of this incident.

The Russian Black Sea Fleet’s press service announced that the incident was caused by a technical oversight. A fleet spokesperson said the landing ship Nikolai Filchenkov was heading for a routine Black Sea Fleet exercise and “the dates of the marines’ exercise had been fixed well in advance by the operational commands of the Black Sea Fleet and the Ukrainian Navy.” The Russian Black Sea Fleet press service emphasized, “In view of the Ukrainian side’s concern over the technical oversight, the Black Sea Fleet command immediately ordered the landing ship and the marines to sail back to Novorossiysk.”