Once again, the aggressor country ignores all the norms and conventions of international shipping.
The tanker "Athena", located in the territorial sea of Romania, 22 miles from the island of Snake, received an open channel of communication and safety of navigation command to approach the russian warship for inspection. The shipowner of the tanker "Athena" immediately informed all the competent authorities in Ukraine. Maritime border guards recorded the fact of a sharp and illogical change of course by another ship under the Ukrainian flag. The Princess Nicole dry cargo ship from Romanian waters was also headed for Snake Island.
Almost as soon as both civilian ships approached the russian warships, the AIS was turned off and they stopped communicating.
Already automatic vehicle identification systems showed their location 18 miles from the occupied Crimea.
Commanders and officers of the russian navy once again defiantly violating the rules of international maritime law, under the guise of a self-proclaimed counter-terrorist operation turned into ordinary unscrupulous pirates, not worthy of the noble title of MARINE OFFICER. The pirate seizure of two Ukrainian-flagged ships with nearly 50 civilians, thousands of tons of diesel fuel and grain humiliates and turns them into primitive robbers, effectively depriving them of shoulder straps and honor.