Russia Returns Five More Ships to Ukraine

Five more Ukrainian ships, which were based in Crimea, have been returned to Ukrainian command by the Russian Navy, according to the RIA Novosti.

Russia began returning ships to Ukraine last month, the first one being Ukrainian missile boat Pryluky.

The ships were towed by the Russian tugs to neutral waters and the Russian Navy covered the towage costs.

The Ukrainian Navy has received the ships in the same condition as they were in Crimea, said the acting head of the Sevastopol administration, Dmitry Belik.

Russia is returning the ships to Ukraine under bilateral agreements signed between defense ministries of the two countries.

Russian news agency ITAR-TASS said the Russian Navy is returning the ships as it deems them “old, obsolete and in poor condition”.

A total of 70 ships were left in Crimea when the crisis began, and the number of returned ships to Ukraine until now amounts to 33.

Some of the ships that redeployed to Odessa so far are degaussing ship Balta, missile boat Pryluky and tanker Fastiv.

Pryluky and Fastiv ships were blocked by the Russian military in March and are the first ships to have left Crimea.

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Naval Today Staff, May 8, 2014; Image: Ukrainian MoD