Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Sunday called a meeting with the country’s top military officials after his country’s Navy claimed Russia opened fire on some of its ships near Crimea.
The Associated Press reported that Poroshenko convened the meeting shortly after Ukraine’s Navy said Russian ships opened fire on Ukranian military boats in the Kerch Strait, hitting two vessels and injuring two crew members. Russia then seized both ships and a tugboat, Ukraine said.
The Russian Federal Security Service, Russia’s state security agency, later said that it has “irrefutable evidence” that Ukraine provoked the incident. The bureau did not immediately provide such evidence.
{mosads}The AP reported that three Ukrainian naval ships were making their way through the strait from the Black Sea to the Sea of Azov. The two bodies are connected by the Kerch Strait, which separates part of Russia from Crimea.
Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, prompting significant international backlash and sanctions against Moscow.
Tensions in the region have been heightened ever since, with other countries in the area expressing concerns about Russian aggression.
President Trump has drawn criticism for his hesitance to condemn Moscow over its annexation of Crimea and other foreign actions. When asked about Crimea, Trump has repeatedly noted that the territory was not taken during his time in office, and that his predecessor is to blame.