The Russian side has caused an emergency in the Black Sea by entering the area where the international military exercise Sea Breeze 2019 is taking place in disregard of international maritime law, the command of the Ukrainian Navy said.

"Despite the coastal warning about the area's closure to navigation during the Sea Breeze 2019 international exercise, the Smetlivy ship of Russia's Black Sea Fleet entered an area closed to navigation at about 8:00 a.m. on July 10, 2019, provoking a dangerous situation in an area where firing practice was under way involving naval artillery of the international coalition's naval taskforce," the press service of the Ukrainian Navy said in a statement.

"The Black Sea Fleet ship was questioned by the Hetman Sahaidachnyi frigate in compliance with international protocol, but pretended to have comms problems," it said.

This is "another reason for the international community to refrain from regarding Russia as a predictable subject of international maritime law, systemic violations of which have become the norm in terms of Russia's conduct in the Black Sea region," the statement said.