Kiev has filed a lawsuit against Russia regarding the bridge’s construction, arguing that it violates international law
According to Russian Ambassador-at-Large Gennady Kuzmin, Ukraine’s demand for the demolition of the Crimean Bridge before an international court is unreasonable. Kiev alleges that Russia illegally built the structure.
Kuzmin made these comments in an interview with RT. The Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague has concluded final hearings on Ukraine’s case against Russia concerning coastal state rights in the Black Sea, the Sea of Azov, and the Kerch Strait.
Ukraine initiated the proceedings in 2016 in relation to the Crimean bridge’s construction, accusing Russia of violating international sea laws on freedom of navigation.
In 2014, following a US-backed coup in Kiev, Crimea voted in a referendum to join Russia. The bridge was completed in 2020.
Ukraine claims sovereignty over Crimea and argues that the Sea of Azov, separated from the Black Sea by the Kerch Strait, is an international body of water governed by the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Such accusations and claims are “groundless,” Kuzmin told RT, explaining that the dispute in general is not governed by the UN Convention because the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait have historically been Russia’s internal waters.
“Since March 2014, Russia has been the only coastal state in the Kerch Strait. The decision to build the Crimean Bridge was made within the sovereign powers of the coastal state to quickly address the serious economic and humanitarian issues in Crimea that arose due to Ukraine’s inhumane blockade of the peninsula,” the ambassador stated.
He further dismissed Kiev’s claims that the bridge hinders shipping and negatively impacts the marine environment, as well as the assertion that Russia conducts unwarranted inspections of sea vessels in the strait.
“We have presented all relevant evidence to the arbitration, over 15,000 pages of materials. During the oral hearings, our lawyers, with the help of experts and witnesses, convincingly refuted every Ukrainian assertion,” Kuzmin said.
An assessment of the project’s environmental impact has demonstrated the falsity of those allegations, the ambassador said, adding that Kiev’s continued attempts to destroy the bridge confirm its “terrorist nature.”
By repeatedly attacking the bridge, Ukraine has clearly demonstrated its lack of concern for people, navigation safety, or the safety of the marine environment, Kuzmin stated.
Since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, Kiev has made several attempts to destroy the bridge, including the use of Western-supplied long-range missiles, naval drones filled with explosives, and explosives smuggled in vehicles. These attacks resulted in civilian casualties.