Context
Almost a year after Poroshenko’s frantic maritime provocation to impose martial law, Russia has shown goodwill and returned two boats and a tug to Ukraine, thus heading to meet Ukraine’s new president, formally unrelated to his predecessor’s madness.
All this year the captured boats were treated as evidence, so whether they were on the move or not was a minor matter, no one was obliged to maintain their serviceable condition. Another thing was standard: the ammunition was seized, as were some weapons.
Facts
1. On the eve of the return of the vessel, an investigator arrived at the port of Kerch, which is confirmed on November 18th by “Ukrainskaya Pravda“, “RBK-Ukraine“, and other Ukrainian websites. The investigator recorded the condition of the ships, which were transferred to the Ukrainian side as evidence that has been excluded from the Russian investigation. On the basis of the results, a transfer certificate was drawn up, which contains a whole list of equipment, including the ill-fated toilets. The same act was submitted to the Ukrainian side at the time of transfer of the towed vessels. This, fairly routine, act has now been signed by both parties and can be presented to the public at any time. Upon the result of the signing the parties did not bring claims to each other.
Then the FSB’s Coast Guard boats took all three units of Ukrainian vessels via towboats and and practically went live to the place of transfer to the crews of the Ukrainian tugs “Titan”, “Sapfir”and ” Gaidamak”. The entire course of the towing from Kerch before the transfer was videotaped first by Russian TV channels, and after the passage of the Crimean bridge also by Reuters. The boats did not stop all the way to the transfer. What happened next with the towed vessels is unknown, as continuous filming was no longer carried out.
However, I have some thoughts on this, which I will share. I will note: during the movement, according to the AIS continuous tracking system, I managed to track that the “Gaidamak” tug in the morning (at 10:00 in Moscow) 20.11.19, for an unknown reason, lost its way and remained stationary for several hours near the western point of Crimea, and then turned off the positioning system altogether:
At this moment, “Titan” and “Sapfir” continued towards Ukraine at a speed of 6-7 knots. However, at around 17 hours, both tugboats, having not reached their destination (port of Ochakov), remained stationary in the area of the village of Rybakovka and also stood still for several hours:
It is also necessary to bear in mind: the said tugs belong to the auxiliary fleet, where all the vessels are still, mainly, Soviet-built, the equipment of which is extremely deplorable.
Ukrainian phantasmagoria.
Admiral of the nonexistent fleet of Naval Forces of Ukraine Igor Voronchenko, 20.11.19., Kiev, on the air of the Ukrainian Channel 4:
“Towing is in progress, the speed very slow. They do not go under their own power, the Russians have ruined them. Even the ceiling lights, sockets, and toilets were removed. So we will now show the whole world the barbaric attitude of the Russians.”
The unshaven president of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky, 20.11.19., the harbour of Ochakov, where the much-suffering boats and tow arrived:
“We will certainly apppeal to the Russian side to get everything back.”
One of the headlines in the Ukrainian media outlet “TSN”:
“Russian marauders: even the sockets and toilets were stolen from the ships returned to Ukraine.”
I only have two questions:
- What were the crews of the auxiliary fleet, the tugs “Titan”, “Sapfir”, and “Gaidamak” doing during stops at sea? I’m not hinting at Ukrainian looting, if anything.
- Why did they disgrace themselves to such an extent?
P.S.: Here came the dry comment of the FSB of the Russian Federation, fully confirming the above in the “Facts” section:
“The Ukrainians signed certificates of acceptance and had no complaints.
If during the transition from the coast of Crimea to Ochakov the Ukrainian side managed to ‘ruin’ the ships and bring the plumbing to an improper condition, that is a problem for the Ukrainian side itself.”
Aleksandr Dubrovsky
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