The Kerch bridge, also known as the Crimean bridge

Ukrainian diplomat: Kerch Bridge must cease to exist for maritime freedom

October 6, 2024

By Ukraine

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Recently, Ukraine has called for the demolition of Russia’s Kerch Bridge in a case against Russia at the International Tribunal in The Hague, citing violations of maritime law and environmental concerns. A Ukrainian diplomat provided remarks on the case to Ukrinform.

Occupied Crimea functions as Russia’s military base, acting as a springboard for Russian offensives into Ukraine’s southern mainland, consolidating Russian forces and enhancing operational capabilities. Between 2017 and 2020, Russia constructed the Kerch road and railway bridges, linking its Taman Peninsula to occupied Crimea, to secure a vital logistical route to the occupied territory.

Anton Korynevych, Ambassador-at-Large of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, emphasized the necessity for the Kerch Bridge to “cease to exist” in a comment to Ukrinform on 6 October. He stated,

“The demand for the demolition of the so-called Kerch Bridge is absolutely logical, because this is an obstacle to freedom of navigation that continues.”

Korynevych argued that the bridge would continue to harm and violate freedom of navigation even after Ukrainian ports in Mariupol and Berdiansk are liberated. He asserted,

“There is no other way to restore freedom of navigation in these waters. The bridge must cease to exist – this is a fact.”

The Ukrainian diplomat also highlighted additional concerns, noting that the bridge “contributes to negative environmental impacts and improper maintenance and inadequate compliance with the provisions on the protection of cultural property, in particular, underwater cultural heritage.” He warned that these environmental consequences could manifest in the coming decades.

Ukraine calls for dismantling of Russia’s Crimean bridge in international tribunal

The Kerch bridge case

The case is part of Ukraine’s claim against Russia for violating the rights of a coastal state under the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Oral hearings on the merits of the case concluded in the Peace Palace in The Hague, with Ukraine presenting its closing argument on 3 October, followed by Russia on 5 October.

The dispute dates back to May 2017 when the first meeting of the tribunal under UNCLOS was held. Ukraine submitted its memorandum of evidence to the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague on 19 February 2018, alleging that Russia violates Ukraine’s sovereign rights in the Black and Azov Seas and the Kerch Strait.

As the tribunal prepares to make its decision, Korynevych expressed hope that it would hear Ukraine’s arguments. The outcome of this case could have significant implications for the future of the Kerch Bridge and maritime relations between Ukraine and Russia in the region.

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