Putin asks Merkel for help in confrontations with Ukraine

In a telephone conversation with Chancellor Angela Merkel, Putin also said he hoped the German leader could intervene to rein in Kiev. Putin “voiced serious concern about Kiev's decision to alert its armed forces and introduce military law”, the Kremlin said in a statement after the call.

He also said he hoped that “Berlin could influence Ukrainian authorities to distance them from other reckless acts”, the statement said.

Political efforts came after Russia fired and confiscated three Ukrainian ships and their crews in the Kerc Strait that separated Crime from the Russian continent. Ukrainian MPs responded by voting to impose military law.

Six Ukrainians were reportedly injured -- one of them critically -- in the crash at the mouth of the Azov Sea, where Russia was building its sea presence and seeking to limit Ukraine's access since the end of a bridge along the strait in May. The Ukrainian government released video footage of one of its ships that crashed by a Russian ship.

After heated debates, lawmakers backed President Petro Porosenko's request to bring military law into force, which will last 30 days starting on November 28th. Authorities can now limit public gatherings and regulate the media. Ukraine said the move was a “act of Russian aggression”. Moscow said the ships had illegally entered its waters, reports The Guardian. /Albanian