I guess the issue here is does Russia legitimately own Crimea Given that it took it from the Ukraine a few years ago.
If it does , then its does have a right to claim to claim the surrounding territorial waters.
If not as the Ukraine, the USA & Nato (the poms are members of Nato) maintain, then Russia does not have territorial rights to waters surrounding Crimea but instead those rights remain with the Ukraine.
I assume that the Poms has been given permission by the Ukranian Austorities to sail through that channel and as such they did not recognise Russia's territorial rights and by implication Russia's ownership of the Crimea.
IMO, this could have been the catalyst for a Nato/Russian bingle.
PS: Its interesting that Nato is incapable of pushing back Russia from East Ukraine. let alone liberating the Crimea.
