!!!BREAKING!!!
At his annual press conference, Russian President Vladimir Putin says that the fate of 24 Ukrainian seamen jailed in Russia will be decided after the criminal process is complete, suggesting that they will not be released before trial.
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We don't often put stuff from Kremlin-funded outlets here, but this rather "original" take on what's happening in the Donbas is worth noting. (Whether anyone will take it seriously is another matter.)
Our news story on Putin's presser has more details on his Ukraine remarks. Here's the relevant excerpt:
On another issue that has raised tensions, Putin repeated his claim that Kyiv was to blame for an incident in which Russian forces fired on Ukrainian naval vessels off Russian-held Crimea on November 25.
He said that the fate of the 24 Ukrainian crewmen now jailed in Moscow would be decided after the criminal process is complete, suggesting they will not be released or swapped and returned to Ukraine until a trial is at least held.
Kyiv blames Moscow for the dire state of their ties and Putin tried to turn the tables, criticizing President Petro Poroshenko's government ahead of a presidential election in Ukraine on March 31, 2019.
"As long as Russophobes remain in the corridors of power in Kyiv -- those who do not understand their own people's interests -- that kind of abnormal situation will continue no matter who is in power in the Kremlin," he said.
In addition to seizing Crimea from Ukraine in March 2014, Russia supports separatists in a war that has killed more than 10,300 people in eastern Ukraine since April of that year.
This is bound to cause even more anxiety in Kyiv: