Tuzla, Ukraine
Ukraine and Russia faced off this week in a territorial squabble over a tiny island in the Black Sea. Russia has been building a massive earthen causeway from the Russian mainland to the Ukrainian island of Tuzla, near the Kerch strait, which links the Sea of Azov to the Black Sea. Ukraine claims the construction work is part of Russia’s plan to annex Tuzla, so Russian ships won’t have to pay Ukraine a fee to pass through the strait. The standoff started out comically, with Ukrainian dredges digging the dirt away as fast as Russian ships could dump it. But as the Russian causeway drew within 100 yards of Tuzla, Ukraine deployed border guards on the island. Now the two sides have agreed to halt all further action and let the diplomats work it out.
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