ITLOS sets date for hearing of captured Ukrainian sailors’ case

24.04.2019 09:57

Ukrinform

The President of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) set the dates for hearing the case on the application of interim measures to the Russian Federation over the violation of the immunities of three Ukrainian naval ships and 24 crewmembers.

"The public hearings will be held on May 10-11, 2019," Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine Olena Zerkal posted on Facebook and added that a procedural order would be published on the ITLOS’ website.

As reported, the representatives of Ukraine and Russia held the consultations regarding Ukraine's lawsuit filed to the ITLOS on liberation of its captured ships and sailors on April 23. The meeting lasted more than three hours.

Following the meeting, Olena Zerkal informed about a radical change in the tone of a conversation on the part of Russian representatives, a “transition from rudeness and brutal neglect to a civilized language typical of diplomacy."

Zerkal also noted that Russia would have an opportunity to voluntarily release Ukrainian sailors and ships and eliminate its violations of international law until the start of the hearings in the ITLOS.

On April 16, Ukraine initiated a new lawsuit against Russia and appealed to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea over the application of interim measures to the Russian Federation with a view to immediately release three Ukrainian ships and 24 crewmembers that had been illegally captured and detained by Russian officers in the Black Sea on November 25, 2018.