Russia, Ukraine spar over Crimea bridge in court

Russia and Ukraine clash at PCA over Crimea waters, highlighting tensions and legal battles between the two nations.

Bitter enemies Russia and Ukraine clashed at the world’s oldest arbitration court on Monday (September 22, 2024) over a long-running case about access to coastal waters around the Crimea peninsula which was annexed by Russia.

Far from the battlefields of eastern Ukraine and Kursk, diplomats fired legal broadsides at each other in the rarefied Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) housed in the Peace Palace in The Hague.

Anton Korynevych, Ukraine’s main representative, accused Russia of thinking it was above international law and could “play by its own rules.”

“Ukraine is here to prove Russia’s many violations of the laws of the sea and to demonstrate that Russia is not free to rewrite the laws of the sea,” added Mr. Korynevych.

He said the Kerch Bridge Moscow had built to connect Crimea to the Russian mainland impeded international shipping, which he said was also hampered by excessive Russian checks.

“Russia now views the Kerch Strait, the Sea of Azov, and perhaps even parts of the Black Sea as its proprietary waters,” Mr. Korynevych told the court.

“Russia wants these waters to be viewed as part of its 21st century empire.”