Ukraine's navy accused Russia of opening fire on and seizing three of its vessels yesterday in a strait near Moscow-annexed Crimea, escalation of tensions between the two countries.<br />''<br />''<br />''The incident occurred in the Kerch Strait, a narrow waterway that gives access to the Sea of Azov that is used by Ukraine and Russia.<br />''Ukraine's navy said it took place as three of its ships two small warships and a tugboat were heading through the strait for the port of Mariupol. <br />'' <br />''It said a Russian border guard vessel rammed the tugboat in openly aggressive actions and then fired on one of its ships. Two Ukrainian soldiers were reportedly injured.<br />'' <br />''Russia, in turn, has accused Kiev of illegally entering its waters and deliberately provoking a conflict. Moscow claims the waters off Crimea after annexing the peninsula in 2014. <br />'' <br />''Russia accused Ukraine of acting at the behest of its Western allies and deliberately attempting to escalate the conflict.<br />''<br />