You're reading: Russia opens criminal case against Ukrainian captain of YaMK-0041 vessel

A criminal case in Russia has been brought against a Ukrainian citizen, the captain of the fishing vessel YaMK-0041, which was detained in May.

“As a result of the measures taken against members of the crew of the fishing vessel YaMK-0041 detained on May 4, it was established that the Ukrainian seamen on the eve of the detention in the exclusive economic zone of the Russian Federation had set up networks for catching flounder. Fishing for flounder from mid-April to mid-June this year in the Black Sea water area was prohibited,” Russia’s Federal Security Service said on May 16.

A criminal case was instituted against the ship’s captain, Ukrainian citizen Novitsky, due to illegal extraction of aquatic biological resources under Part 3 of Article 256 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (illegal fishing). The vessel YaMK-0041 was seized.