Further aggravation of the situation in the Black and Azov Seas may lead to new sanctions of the West against Russia.

This was told to Kommersant by the Russian expert, president of the Institute of Strategic Assessments Alexander Konovalov.

Russian border guards detained a Ukrainian fishing vessel with five Ukrainians aboard the annexed Crimea on May 4. This measure is widely regarded by many as Russia's response to the arrest of Ukraine by the ship Nord, assigned to the Crimean port, as well as its crew (all citizens of Ukraine) on charges of illegally crossing the Ukrainian border.

"The situation in the Azov and Black Seas threatens to further destabilize Russian-Ukrainian relations, and Moscow's current tough actions in response to the incident with the Russian vessel Nord do not guarantee its success," Konovalov said..

He noted that the incomparably greater potential of Russia at sea than Ukraine does not guarantee its success in the confrontation, given Ukraine's support from the West.

"The further aggravation may be fraught with a new round of sanctions war with the West, the continuation of which is not in the interests of Russia. Thus, having a limited field for maneuver, Moscow will be forced to carefully weigh its actions in order to avoid a new full-scale escalation, "the expert said..

As previously reported, the coast guard ships of the Frontier Service of the FSB and the Russian Black Sea Fleet in the Azov Sea water area became dangerously active after the arrest of the fishing vessel "Nord".