Posted on 05/14/2016 5:55:06 AM PDT by TigerLikesRooster
North Korea seizes Russian yacht with crew in neutral waters
Published time: 14 May, 2016 11:03
Edited time: 14 May, 2016 12:00
North Korean coast guards intercepted a Russian yacht in neutral waters and escorted it to a N. Korean port without giving an explanation on Friday. The Russian embassy in Pyongyang has demanded the immediate release of the Russian vessel and its crew.
Sportsmen aboard the Elfin yacht were returning to Vladivostok from an international regatta in the South Korean port of Busan, when it was waylaid by what had appeared to be a fishing boat sailing under the North Korean flag.
The incident occurred some 85 nautical miles off the shores of North Korea at 19:25 local time (10:25 GMT). According to Vesti Primorye, the captain of the Russian vessel, Dmitry Nazarov, was forced to board the North Korean vessel, while three (or four) other members of the crew locked themselves inside the yacht.
The North Korean ship took the Russian yacht in tow and brought it to the port of Kimchaek. Later there was a report that a North Korean coast guard vessel had detained the Russian vessel.
Russia’s Emergency Ministry was informed of the incident at 20:00 local time. The Russian embassy in Pyongyang learnt about it at about 21:00 and immediately asked the North Korean authorities for clarification.
“According to available information, the yacht is in the port of Kimchaek, the captain and crew are safe and sound,” Interfax cited the embassy’s public relations officer Denis Samsonov as saying.
The Russian consul general in the region, Yury Bochhkarev, has contacted authorities in Hamgyong Province, but has not been granted permission to meet the detained Russian citizens so far.
The Russian embassy has demanded explanations from Pyongyang and expects North Korean authorities to present detailed information on the incident by the end of Saturday.
The vice-president of Russia’s Primorye Yachting Sport Federation, Evgeny Khromchenko, told RIA Novosti the crew had contacted their relatives by phone and explained the situation.
According to Khromchenko, the captain of the Elfin is an experienced sailor and was guiding his vessel within the allowed lane. Captain Nazarov has passed the same route “dozens of times,” Khromchenko said, noting that this is not the first incident of its kind.
“They will be detained for two-three days,” he said, adding that the North Koreans act unlawfully, “like pirates,” trying to extort money. They usually damage yachts in the process.
Russian yachtsmen could be held accountable for “violating” North Korea’s rules regarding approaching national territorial waters, Petr Osichansky, the head of Maritime Incidents Investigative Center, told RIA Novosti.
“North Korea has harsh regulations when it comes to their territorial waters, you cannot approach them closer than 50 (nautical) miles. The yacht likely violated that rule,” Osichansky told RIA Novosti. He explained that for the rest of the world territorial water zones are always 12 miles.
This “violation” is not a severe one, particularly when it comes to Russian sailors, so they will be released soon, Osichansky said. He added the incident is definitely not the first one, and previous ones ended amicably.
North Korea established its 200-mile maritime economic zone in 1977.
Watch the Juche-fruit gum this up.
Norks are being stupid—Putin has many ways to get revenge on the tiny country. a single assassin’s bullet or a secret deal with one of their generals. Putin is a right basterd when he puts his mind to it.
So Putin, that that. NK is showing Russia who’s boss.
Same would have happened to Japan if we didn't use the nukes on them.
Actually Russia is really a bully when they can get away with it. They will do nothing.
Forward the Light Brigade:
Or just cut off their food.
This must be the flagship of the North Korean navy...
This will not end well for Lil Kim.
It doesn't get much clearer than North Korea and South Korea... but you're right - East and West Germany was close...
I suspect this isn't taught in our school system... if it was we wouldn't have idiots pining for socialism.
Wonder how many White Swans Putin put into the skies after hearing this?
Repeat, sort of the NK’, behavior towards the USS Pueblo.
Could the Soviets even be able to beat Japan without the US navy? I am reading one blog about military stuff and the guy says Soviets didn’t have navy and wouldn’t have a chance without the US. He wrote this in response to a commie claim that Soviets would have beaten Japan without the USA.
N.Korea frees Russian yacht, crew detained ‘by mistake’
http://in.reuters.com/article/russia-northkorea-yacht-idINKCN0Y608H
I wonder if N. Koreans insisted that Russians leave some souvenirs behind as tokens for the bilateral friendship. Donating some electronic navigational gears would be appreciated by N. Koreans.
I have not yet found anything about that, but in this article https://charter97.org/ru/news/2016/5/15/204313/ they say that the mistake was due to NK fishermen that saw Korean text on the vessel and reported it. The NK authorities said to the Russians that we have to understand the action by the fishermen. Good to blame someone.
Very often it is possible to read some juicy details in the local Russian newspapers. We have to wait a few days.
The Russian yachts galley probably carried caviar. The Deer Leader, Wo Fat, was running low on caviar, so he told his navy to get more. ;-)
AdmSmith wrote: “Very often it is possible to read some juicy details in the local Russian newspapers. We have to wait a few days.”
Any details ever come out on this?
Granted, if this yacht involved the Russian mob or a Russian intelligence operation of some sort, the Russian media will not report anything. But if this was a screwup by the North Koreans, or worse yet, an attempt by the Kim dynasty to extort something from Putin, the Russians would have every motive to report their success story in reading the riot act to the North Koreans.
I’m interested, and would be amused to learn how a trained KGB operative and leader deals with the North Koreans. Russians can do things a normal Western country can’t, and also can do things an Asian country won’t.
In dealing with North Korea, the Russians could become useful if sufficiently provoked to annoyance.
he rusted North Korean boat had about 40 crewmembers. Upon seeing the Russian yacht, they yelled, “Stop, Russians” and sailed closer, Domovidov said.
The North Koreans also tossed rocks, chairs and flasks at the Russian crew, causing damage to the vessel, the Russian crewmember said.
For about two hours, the Russians tried to escape, but the North Korean boat outmaneuvered the yacht. The North Koreans then climbed onboard and the yacht was dragged to the North Korean port of Kimchaek in North Hamgyong Province, according to the report.
While in North Korean custody, local authorities accused Domovidov and his crew of being South Korean spies.
Domovidov said the North Koreans used metal detectors to inspect crew possessions and confiscated all mobile phones. The incident created at least $10,000 in damages, Domovidov said.
The Elfin yacht was returning home on Saturday after participating in an international regatta in the South Korean port city of Busan.
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2016/05/18/North-Koreans-threatened-Russian-yacht-crew-with-violence-report-says/1131463595557/
The owners of the yacht demand half a million dollar in compensation from NK, but the actual damage was less (see article above)
http://aspnova.ru/novosti-mira/ekipazh-rossiyskoy-yahtyi-potrebuet-ot-kndr-polmilliona-dollarov/
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