UN begins hearing case of Ukraine sailors held by Russia
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A U.N. court is considering a legal case brought by Ukraine over the capture of 24 sailors and three naval vessels held by Russia since November.
The Hamburg-based International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea began its two-day hearing Friday.
Ukraine is demanding the immediate release of its sailors and ships, arguing that failure to do so would breach the country's rights.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Russia argues that the sovereignty rights Ukraine claims in the case don't apply because they are covered by a military exception.
The confrontation the Kerch Strait linking the Sea of Azov with the Black Sea marked a flashpoint in the simmering conflict over Russia's 2014 annexation of the Crimean Peninsula. Russia seized Crimea in a move that Ukraine and most of the world views as illegal.