Putin says martial law will create problems for Ukraine’s economy

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev says that the incident in the Kerch Strait may be fraught with problems for the Ukrainian economy.

"Obviously, this incident is an additional complication of the processes going on in Ukraine," he said. "It will create or, at least, may create serious problems for Ukraine’s economy."

"And, naturally, it will do no good to the relations between Russia and Ukraine," he added.

The Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament) has approved Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko’s decision to declare martial law in the country. Martial law will be imposed on the Ukrainian territories bordering Russia, as well as along the coast of the Black and Azov Seas. It is scheduled to enter into force on November 28 and will remain in place for 30 days.

Ukraine said on November 25 that Russia had fired on some of its ships in the Kerch Strait near Crimea, hitting two vessels and injuring six Ukrainian sailors. Russia then seized both ships and a tugboat, Ukraine said. Russia’s federal security service, the FSB, said it seized the ships for illegally sailing into Russian territorial waters.