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Russia's Strategy of Escalation Against Ukraine

Russia's Strategy of Escalation Against Ukraine

Sevastopol, Crimea, Ukraine - July 28, 2013: A young girl stands by the sea in the Crimean port city of Sevatopol, home to both Russian and Ukrainian navy fleets. A young man is visible swimming to the monument (for ships scuttled in the Crimean War), and a group of people are passing to the right of the monument on a small boat. The Ukrainian naval vessel to the left is the U402 Kostiantyn Olshansky, a Ropucha I class large landing ship.

Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko says he is ready for four-country talks with Russia over the crisis in the Black Sea. Poroshenko declared martial law last month after Russian ships seized Ukrainian vessels and took Ukrainian sailors into custody, claiming they had illegally entered Russian waters. 

The United Nations held an emergency security council meeting after the incident, with world leaders calling on Russian President Vladimir Putin to release the sailors and return the ships.

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