Tough response: Ukraine confiscated the vessel for illegal entry into the ports of occupied Crimea.

The vessel USKO MFU, which illegally entered Crimea, has been detained

In the Odessa region, the Maritime Guard of the State Border Service, together with law enforcement agencies, detained the cargo ship USKO MFU under the flag of Cameroon, which illegally entered the ports of temporarily occupied Crimea for commercial activities.

By court decision, the vessel was transferred to the ownership of the state of Ukraine.

"The detention took place in July 2024, when the Maritime Guard divisions as part of an interagency group identified a violation of navigation in waters under temporary occupation. The Dnipro District Court of Kyiv decided to transfer the vessel to the National Agency for Asset Management (ARMA)", - reported the service.

The captain of the vessel is accused under Part 2 of Article 332-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine of violating the entry procedure into the occupied territories with the intent to harm the state interests. For violating Ukrainian legislation and international law, the vessel will now be under state management for further use.

"Ukraine continues to firmly defend its sovereignty in territorial waters, reminding that all ports of Crimea and the Sea of Azov remain closed for commercial activities. Any operations in these ports violate international norms and Ukrainian legislation", - emphasized in the post.