KYIV, April 16 - Ukraine has filed a request with a United Nations tribunal seeking the release of 24 Ukrainian sailors and three vessels captured by Russia in the Kerch Straight in November 2018.

The request, filed with the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), shows Ukraine has stopped seeking direct answers from Russia and will rely on international legal system to release the sailors.

"Ukraine filed the request seeking provisional relief against the Russian Federation. The request seeks the release of the three Ukrainian naval vessels and twenty-four servicemen unlawfully seized by the Russian Federation in the Black Sea on November 25, 2018," the Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a statement.

Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), naval vessels and the personnel on board have complete immunity, meaning that foreign nations may not seize them, detain them, or subject them to legal proceedings.

"Russia's seizure of Ukraine's vessels in the Black Sea, continued detention of the vessels and the servicemen on board, and attempted criminal prosecution of those servicemen blatantly violates UNCLOS," the ministry said.

On April 1, following months of efforts to secure the release of its naval vessels and servicemen and Russia's continued, unjustified refusal to do so, Ukraine notified Russia that it was commencing mandatory arbitration under UNCLOS.

If ultimately convicted, the sailors may be sentenced to up to six years in Russian labor camps, the ministry said. "Every additional day of detention harms the Ukrainian servicemen and constitutes a further affront to Ukraine's legal rights under UNCLOS and customary international law.

Today's request for provisional relief seeks to protect against the serious and irreparable harm that will be caused by the continued detention of Ukraine's naval vessels and the continued detention and prosecution of its servicemen," the ministry said. (un/ez)