EU ambassadors approve sanctions on eight more Russians over Kerch Strait incident:
By RFE/RL
BRUSSELS -- EU ambassadors have agreed to impose asset freezes and visa bans on eight Russians involved in the capture and jailing of 24 Ukrainian seamen in an incident near the Kerch Strait in November, according to several sources familiar with the discussions.
The sanctions backed by the ambassadors on March 6 are measures that are expected to be formally approved next week, according to diplomats who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the issue publicly.
After that, the eight Russians will be added to the EU list of people and entities who have been hit with sanctions for undermining the territorial integrity of Ukraine.
The list, which was created after Russia seized control of Ukraine's Crimea region in March 2014 and backed separatists fighting Kyiv's forces in a war that has killed some 13,000 people since April 2014, now consists of 163 individuals and 44 entities. The sanctions against them will be prolonged by six months next week.
The additional eight Russians are either officers who were involved in the Kerch Strait incident or Russian judges who oversaw the subsequent jailing of the Ukrainians, who remain in pretrial detention in the Lefortovo jail in Moscow.
The incident occurred on November 25 when Russian Coast Guard vessels fired on and seized three Ukrainian Navy vessels and their crews while they were on their way from the Black Sea to the Ukrainian port of Mariupol, on the Sea of Azov. Moscow accuses them of illegally entering Russian territorial waters, which they deny.
The incident increased tension over the Kerch Strait, which is the the sole passage from the Black Sea to the Sea of Azov and runs between Russia and Russian-held Crimea. (Rikard Jozwiak in Brussels)
ICYMI
Good morning. We'll start the live blog today with this item that was filed overnight by our new desk in Washington:
Top U.S. General Calls For More Defenses For Ukraine Against Russia
The commander of U.S. forces in Europe called for bolstering Ukraine's defenses against Russian aggression, in eastern Ukraine as well as in the Black Sea.
General Curtis Scaparrotti made the comments on March 5 in testimony before the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee.
Scaparrotti spoke just over three months after Russian naval forces seized three Ukrainian vessels operating in the Kerch Strait, near Crimea and the Sea of Azov. A total of 24 Ukrainian sailors were also detained.
Russia has insisted Ukrainian vessels were illegally crossing maritime borders.
Scaparrotti, who is also the top commander of NATO, said the United States has already sold Javelin anti-tank missiles to Ukraine.
But he told senators there were other things -- "like sniper systems, ammunition"-- that Washington could provide to strengthen Ukraine's forces.
He also said Washington might consider boosting naval defenses in the Black Sea, though he did not specify how.
Moscow "continues to arm, train," and even "fight alongside antigovernment forces in eastern Ukraine," Scaparrotti said. He also accused Moscow of violating the 2015 Minsk agreement designed to end the conflict.