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An international arbitration tribunal has rejected most of Ukraine’s claims against Russia regarding control of the Kerch Strait, while finding that Moscow breached certain maritime obligations during the construction of the Crimea Bridge. The case, filed by Ukraine after Russia began building the bridge linking mainland Russia with Crimea, was heard by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague. Although the tribunal ruled that Russia failed to conduct adequate environmental assessments during construction, it dismissed the majority of Kyiv’s claims on procedural grounds. No compensation was awarded, and both countries were directed to bear their own legal expenses.
An international arbitration tribunal has largely dismissed Ukraine’s case against Russia over the Kerch Strait, while concluding that Moscow violated some maritime law obligations during the construction of the Crimea Bridge connecting mainland Russia to the Crimean Peninsula.
The ruling was issued by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague in a case initiated by Ukraine in 2016 after Russia began constructing the 19-kilometre bridge across the Kerch Strait. The waterway connects the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov and has remained a key point of dispute between the two countries since Russia annexed Crimea in 2014.
According to the tribunal’s decision, which was made public in the past week under the court’s procedural rules, most of Ukraine’s allegations that Russia was unlawfully attempting to exercise exclusive control over the strait were dismissed on procedural grounds.
However, the five-member arbitration panel found that Russia failed to comply with certain obligations under international maritime law by not conducting proper environmental impact assessments during the bridge’s construction. The tribunal ruled that these shortcomings amounted to violations of applicable sea law requirements.
Despite identifying those breaches, the panel did not order Russia to pay any reparations or compensation. It also directed both parties to bear their own legal costs after proceedings that extended for nearly a decade.
The case forms part of a broader series of legal actions pursued by Ukraine in international courts and institutions following Russia’s annexation of Crimea and the escalation of the conflict after Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The Kerch Strait bridge remains strategically important for Russia, serving as a major transport route for fuel, food supplies and other goods moving into Crimea. The region is also home to Sevastopol, the longstanding base of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet. The bridge itself has been at the centre of geopolitical tensions for years and has been targeted multiple times during the ongoing conflict.
Source Reuters
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