Prime minister calls meeting of security committee over Kerch Strait attack
Prime Minister Jüri Ratas (Centre) on Monday convened an extraordinary meeting of the government's security committee to discuss the Russian aggression against Ukraine in the Kerch Strait and nearby areas.
"What took place in the Kerch Strait is a serious violation of international law," Ratas said according to the Government Office's press service. "I condemn the actions of Russia seizing Ukranian naval vessels, the closure of Kerch Strait and the aggression against Ukraine. I support the further steps of the UN, the European Union and NATO in support of Ukraine," the prime minister added.
The committee will gather at Stenbock House in Tallinn at 16.30 EEST on Monday, the Baltic News Service wrote.
The security committee coordinates the activities of Estonia's security authorities, analyses and assesses the security situation and determines the state's need for security-related information, among other things.
The committee is chaired by the prime minister and includes the ministers of entrepreneurship and IT, justice, defence, economic affairs and infrastructure, finance, interior, and foreign affairs.
Russia fired on two Ukrainian naval ships and rammed a third vessel in the Black Sea on Sunday, seizing the ships and claiming they illegally entered its territorial waters. Ukrainian officials say that 20 sailors are held captive by Russian forces, at least six of whom are wounded. Ukraine and the international community have condemned Russia's actions as acts of military aggression.
The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) has accused Ukraine of staging a deliberate provocation.
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Editor: Dario Cavegn