Ukrainian sailors, interviewed by Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) after the standoff near the Crimean coast, reportedly admitted they deliberately violated Russian borders while trying to pass through the Kerch Strait.

The FSB has claimed in a statement that the naval standoff in Crimean waters was a “provocative act of the Ukrainian Navy executed upon direct orders by the government in Kiev.” The clash took place on Sunday in the Kerch Strait, which connects mainland Russia and the Crimean peninsula. It involved Ukrainian ships and Russian coast guard vessels.

The security agency, which oversees border security, noted that the territorial waters entered by Ukrainian vessels belonged to Russia even before 2014, when Crimean citizens voted to reunify with the country. It also said two officers from the Ukrainian Security Service, or SBU, were embedded with the intruder ships to coordinate the incursion.

Later, the FSB released footage of three men identified as Ukrainian service members. Speaking on camera, they said their crews deliberately violated Russian maritime borders and ignored repeated orders to stop.

[link to www.rt.com (secure)]