MOSCOW, January 13 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian Navy has voiced concerns about what it says is a seizure by Ukrainian officials of the Russian Black Sea Fleet's lighthouse in Yalta, in Ukraine's Crimea.
"The Chief Navy Command of Russia is concerned about this illegal act, which could disturb the normal operation of the hydrographic and navigation systems in the region, create the possibility of emergency situations and disrupt the entire navigation security system," said Captain Igor Dygalo, an aide to the Navy Commander in Chief.
According to Dygalo, eight officers of the Ukrainian Transportation Ministry's hydrographic service entered the Yalta lighthouse Friday morning on the pretext of inspection, and have barred Russian staff from doing their work.
Dygalo said an official from the Russian fleet's hydrographic service and a foreign ministry representative were heading for the site, and that the Black Sea Fleet had taken measures to enhance security at its other navigation facilities in the region.
The Russian Black Sea Fleet leases the base of Sevastopol in the Crimea. Although Russia and Ukraine have an agreement under which Russia will lease the base until 2017, some Ukrainian politicians called for a revision of the contract terms after Russian energy giant Gazprom announced that it wanted to raise prices for supplies of natural gas to Ukraine to international market levels.
