Outside Odessa, Ukraine seizes Russian tanker suspected of blocking the Kerch Strait last November

Ukraine’s National Security Service has seized a Russian tanker for blocking Ukrainian ships in the Kerch Strait, according to the agency’s Facebook page, where officials say the tanker was used in November 2018 to block the Kerch Strait, when Ukrainian naval ships tried to pass through it. This incident led to the capture of 24 Ukrainian sailors by the Russian Coast Guard.

Under the supervision of the Military Prosecutor’s Office, Ukraine’s National Security Service is now conducting a pretrial investigation into the tanker’s actions in the Kerch Strait.

The Russian tanker was seized when it entered the Izmail Sea Commercial Port in the Odessa region, sailing under the Russian flag. Ukrainian officials say the ship changed its name from “NEYMA” to “NIKA SPIRIT.” The authorities say they plan to ask a court to sanction the tanker’s seizure as physical evidence.