Kiev has demanded the Crimean Bridge, which it claims Russia built “illegally” over the Kerch Strait, be demolished, during hearings at the international court in The Hague on Tuesday.
Moscow has argued that the Ukrainian case is groundless and that the court has no jurisdiction.
The Kremlin has largely declined to comment on the hearings, with spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying that Moscow’s position was well-known and “absolutely predominant.”
On Monday, the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) started proceedings over a complaint brought by the Ukrainian government in 2016, accusing Russia of violating international sea laws on freedom of navigation.
Ukraine claims sovereignty over Crimea and argues that the Sea of Azov, which is separated from the Black Sea by the Kerch Strait, is an international body of water, to which the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea applies.
Anton Korinevich, representing Ukraine, declared in his opening statement that the bridge built by Russia to connect Crimea with Krasnodar Region had been designed to deny large vessels access to the Sea of Azov.
“This bridge is illegal and must be dismantled,” he argued.
Since the breakout of hostilities with Russia in February 2022, Ukraine has launched multiple military attacks on the infrastructure, the road section of which spans some 16 kilometers, including two major bombings masterminded by its special services.
Civilians were killed in both incidents.
Gennady Kuzmin, the Russian representative, told the PCA that contrary to Ukrainian claims, Crimea is part of Russia. He replied to Korinevich’s complaints by reminding the court that the Ukrainian authorities had cut power and water supplies to the peninsula in retaliation for the referendum to join Russia.
“Russia had to find a solution to save Crimea from hunger, degradation of agriculture and social infrastructure, to provide for the basic needs of the population. The construction of the Crimean Bridge was the solution,” he stated.
In 2020, the PCA sided with Russian objections about its jurisdiction in the case, forcing Kiev to rework its complaint. The current round of deliberations will last until October 5 and will be held mostly behind closed doors. Reviews of such cases normally take months or years.