The Russian navy has reportedly fired upon and seized three Ukrainian naval vessels off the Crimean Peninsula, in a dramatic escalation of tensions between the two countries.
At least six Ukrainian crew members have been injured, after Russian forces opened fire on and then took control of two Ukrainian gunboats, the Berdyansk and Nikopol, and the Yana Kapa tug boat.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The Russian navy then opened fire on two other Ukrainian naval vessels in the Black Sea, following a tense standoff as the three Ukrainian ships were transferring from Odessa on the Black Sea to Mariupol in the Sea of Azov, via the Kerch Strait.
Russia had earlier blockaded the Kerch Strait, mooring an oil tanker beneath a bridge and cutting off access to the Sea of Azov, which is shared between the two countries. Russian fighter jets and helicopters were also reportedly spotted flying at low altitude near the Crimean Bridge.
Russia claimed that “two small Ukrainian armoured artillery vessels” had “illegally entered its territorial waters, attempted illegal actions, and ignored warnings to stop while manoeuvring dangerously”, according to Al Jazeera.
“Weapons were used with the aim of forcibly stopping the Ukrainian warships,” Russia’s FSB security service said in a statement. “As a result, all three Ukrainian naval vessels were seized in the Russian Federation’s territorial waters in the Black Sea.”
The BBC reports that Ukraine president Petro Poroshenko has described Russia’s actions as “unprovoked and crazy”, while Russia has called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, which has been scheduled for later today.
-
A little-visited Indian Ocean archipelagoThe Week Recommends The paradise of the Union of the Comoros features beautiful beaches, colourful coral reefs and lush forests
-
AI: is the bubble about to burst?In the Spotlight Stock market ever-more reliant on tech stocks whose value relies on assumptions of continued growth and easy financing
-
Sudoku hard: October 19, 2025The Week's daily hard sudoku puzzle
-
Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s Iron Lady set to be the country’s first woman prime ministerIn the Spotlight Takaichi is a member of Japan’s conservative, nationalist Liberal Democratic Party
-
Can Gaza momentum help end the war in Ukraine?Today's Big Question Zelenskyy’s request for long-range Tomahawk missiles hints at ‘warming relations’ between Ukraine and US
-
Remaking the military: Pete Hegseth’s war on diversity and ‘fat generals’Talking Point The US Secretary of War addressed military members on ‘warrior ethos’
-
US tipped to help Kyiv strike Russian energy sitesSpeed Read Trump has approved providing Ukraine with intelligence for missile strikes on Russian energy infrastructure
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
Russia slams Kyiv, hits government buildingSpeed Read This was Moscow's largest aerial assault since launching its full-scale invasion in 2022
-
'Axis of upheaval': will China summit cement new world order?Today's Big Question Xi calls on anti-US alliance to cooperate in new China-led global system – but fault lines remain
