Ukrainian authorities have officially announced the need to dismantle the Kerch Bridge, as its existence restricts international shipping in the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait. The statement was part of a broader debate about Russia's control over the region's waterways.
This structure is illegal and must be dismantled, said Ambassador-at-Large of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Anton Korynevych, speaking at oral hearings at the Arbitration Tribunal in The Hague, Radio Liberty notes.
“Russia now views the Kerch Strait, the Sea of Azov, and perhaps even parts of the Black Sea as its own waters. Russia wants these waters to be seen as part of its 21st century empire. And while you will hear Russian experts say that the Sea of Azov is like a lake or a river, Ukraine strongly rejects these claims, and this Tribunal should reject them too. The Sea of Azov is not a lake or a delta of a small river. It is over 37,000 square kilometers of semi-enclosed sea,” Korynevych noted.
He added that the Kerch Bridge is "illegal and must be dismantled," and the passage through the Kerch Strait should be similar to what it was before this illegal obstruction of navigation began.
“The Russian Federation has illegally constructed a permanent obstacle to passage through this vital sea route (the Kerch Strait – KR) – an extremely low bridge. A bridge that is lower than indicated by Russian research; lower than Russia’s own commercial interests require; and lower than any other bridge currently built or even proposed for construction over an international strait. Because of it, some of the major classes of vessels used in international trade can no longer pass through the strait,” Korynevych noted.
The representative of Ukraine also reported that Russia had obstructed passage through the Kerch Strait and navigation in the Sea of Azov in other ways as well.
"It detained ships seeking to transit to Ukrainian ports of the Sea of Azov for 40 hours, while ships heading to Russia for only 3 hours. It arbitrarily prohibited passage through the Kerch Strait to ships of foreign states... Russia introduced a regime of mandatory one-way passage in the Kerch Strait and established a pilotage regime in such a way that only Russian ships could avoid it. These are only violations related to freedom of navigation," Korynevych said.
On September 23, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague began hearings on the merits of Ukraine's claim against Russia for violation of coastal state law under the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea
