Ukraine condemns Russia's "provocative actions" in Black Sea

Ukraine's foreign ministry on Monday said it "strongly condemns the provocative actions" of Russia, a day after a Russian vessel fired warning shots and boarded a cargo vessel in the Black Sea.

"The Russian Navy grossly violated the UN Charter, the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, and other norms of international law," the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. "These actions exemplified Russia's deliberate policy of endangering the freedom of navigation and safety of commercial shipping in the Black Sea."

Moscow has said it stopped the Turkish-owned, Palau-flagged dry cargo ship called the Sukru Okan to ensure it was not carrying "prohibited goods" to Ukraine.

In the weeks since Moscow pulled out of a deal that allowed for the safe passage of Ukrainian grain exports in the Black Sea, both Russia and Ukraine have launched attacks on shipping and port targets.

Russia's defense ministry has warned that ships sailing to Ukraine's Black Sea ports will be viewed as military targets, while Ukraine has said any attacks of Russian targets on the sea will be justified because they occur in Kyiv's territorial waters.

Earlier, an adviser to Ukraine's president called Russia's boarding of the cargo vessel on Sunday "a deliberate attack" and "an act of piracy."