The North Atlantic Alliance urges Russia and Ukraine to show restraint in connection with the events in the Kerch Strait, NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu told Interfax.

"NATO is closely monitoring developments in the Azov Sea and the Kerch Strait, and we are in contact with the Ukrainian authorities. We call for restraint and de-escalation," Lungescu said.

"NATO fully supports Ukraine's sovereignty and its territorial integrity, including its navigational rights in its territorial waters," she said.

"We call on Russia to ensure unhindered access to Ukrainian ports in the Azov Sea, in accordance with international law," she said.

"At the Brussels Summit in July, NATO leaders expressed their support to Ukraine, and made clear that Russia's ongoing militarization of Crimea, the Black Sea and the Azov Sea pose further threats to Ukraine's independence and undermines the stability of the broader region, " Lungescu said.