Russia warns Ukraine of ‘consequences’ after tanker seized

Russia warns Ukraine that it will soon face “consequences” after the latter seized a Russian oil tanker, claiming it had been involved in a November naval confrontation with Kiev.

"We are looking into what happened to take appropriate measures,” a Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson told AFP. "If Russians are taken hostage, this would be interpreted as the crudest violation of international law and consequences will not be long in coming," the official added.

Ukrainian forces seized the vessel in the port of Izmail in the southern Ukrainian region of Odessa on Thursday for, what the Ukrainian security service (SBU) alleged, was its taking part in an incident in the Kerch Strait last November, which saw three Ukrainian vessels seized by Russia.

"The Ukraine security service and military prosecutors' office detained Russian tanker, the Neyma, which had blocked Ukrainian warships in the Kerch Strait," the security service said in a statement on Thursday.

The SBU said the Russian vessel was sailing under a different name -- Nika Spirit--, claiming that its name had been deliberately changed to conceal its engagement in last year’s incident.

The crew members were later freed by Ukraine and were on their way home, but the tanker remained in Ukrainian custody in Izmail, a spokesman for the Russian Embassy in Kiev said by telephone.

An SBU statement said earlier that investigators had seized documents onboard the Russian vessel and questioned crewmembers.

SS