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Kyiv's emergency response to the Kerch Strait crisis
Summary
A look back at the National Security and Defense Council session convened after Russia blocked the strait and seized Ukrainian vessels.
What did Kyiv do when Russian forces blocked the Kerch Strait and seized Ukrainian vessels? On 25 November 2018, an emergency meeting of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine was convened in response.
Afterwards, President Petro Poroshenko said he would ask the Verkhovna Rada to support a declaration of martial law in Ukraine. The parliament was set to hold an emergency meeting at 4 p.m. local time on 26 November.
What happened in the strait
The incident began when the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) coast guard fired upon and captured three Ukrainian Navy vessels. They had attempted to transit from the Black Sea into the Sea of Azov through the strait on their way to the port of Mariupol. It was the first time that Russian forces had openly engaged Ukrainian forces during the Russo-Ukrainian War.
The political response
The convening of the security council and the president's announcement that he would seek parliamentary backing for martial law marked the Ukrainian political reaction on 25 November 2018. The next step, the Rada's emergency session, was scheduled for the following afternoon.
