Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko called an emergency meeting of the war cabinet on Sunday night after three Ukrainian navy ships were shot at and seized by the Russian forces in the Black Sea, The Guardian reports.
Poroshenko has asked the Parliament to vote on a proposal to impose martial law. Ukraine claims the Russians’ attack injured six crew members.
Violent protests broke out outside the Russian embassy in Kiev following the seizure.
It all began on Sunday night, with Russia preventing three Ukrainian navy vessels from passing beneath its bridge in the Kerch strait. Two artillery ships and a tug boat were then fired on and seized. Russia says only three Ukrainian sailors were wounded and that none of them has serious injuries.
Ukraine said it had given Russia advance warning of the route its ships would take.
After the president recommended the imposition of martial law, Ukrainian foreign affairs minister Pavlo Klimkin said it was “likely possible that Russia plans further acts of aggression at seas or on the ground” and that Ukraine must be “ready”.
Maja Kocijančič, the EU spokesperson for foreign affairs and security, has urged both sides to show restraint and “de-escalate the situation immediately”.