OREANDA-NEWS. The US Congress introduced a draft law on the cessation of aggressive encroachment on freedom through the law on sanctions against Russia. The corresponding statement was published on the website of one of the authors of the bill, a member of the House of Representatives from the Democratic Party, Marcy Kaptur. Other authors of the initiative were her colleagues in the House of Democrat Mike Quigley, as well as Republicans Andy Harris and Brian Fitzpatrick.

"The United States Congress continues to strongly condemn the dangerous attack of Russia on the navy of Ukraine and the illegal detention of 24 Ukrainian sailors", said a joint statement by the authors of the bill. “The international community shouldn't be inactive, since Russia is intensifying its aggression in Europe and throughout the world. The United States and the free world must increase the punishment for Russia for its attacks until each of the 24 Ukrainian sailors returns home and the courts are not released”, the congressmen call.

The draft law provides for the introduction of sanctions against 24 high-ranking representatives of the FSS of Russia and their closest associates. The authors of the bill called on the rest of the chamber colleagues to support their initiative. The incident in the Kerch Strait occurred in November last year. Three ships of the Ukrainian Navy, according to the FSS, entered the territorial waters of Russia and didn't respond to warning signals. As a result, the vessels were captured with the use of fire, the sailors were arrested. Kiev called the actions of Moscow aggression. Russia insists that a provocation was undertaken by Ukraine.

In May, the International Court of Law of the Sea decided that Russia should release the sailors and transfer them to Ukraine. Moscow believes that the incident doesn't fall under the jurisdiction of the tribunal.