KIEV, Aug. 19 – Russia, in apparent compliance with President Viktor Yushchenko’s decrees, notified Ukraine that four battleships will be arriving at their main base in Sevastopol on Wednesday, the Defense Ministry reported Tuesday.

The notice comes despite earlier warnings from top Russian military commanders that Russia would seek to ignore the decrees, which have been de-facto restricting movement of battleships across the Ukrainian border.

Ukraine enacted the restrictions last week amid concerns that Russia had been using its Sevastopol-based battleships in the conflict with Georgia earlier this month, making Ukrainian territory vulnerable for the retaliatory strike.

The Black Sea Fleet's missile cruiser Moskva, escort vessel Smetliviy, missile ship Mirazh and minesweeper Turbinist, which have set off from the Russian port of Novorossiisk, are due to arrive in Sevastopol, the ministry said.

“The procedure of the notice about the arrival of the four Black Sea Fleet ships to Sevastopol was in line with the decrees of the President of Ukraine,” the ministry said.

Foreign Minister Volodymyr Ohryzko, in comments earlier Tuesday, said the decree was not retroactive, suggesting it would apparently not affect those battleships that had left Sevastopol earlier this month and had been returning back.

“I believe that those battleships that had departed Sevastopol before the decrees had been signed, are subject to the previous regulations,” Ohryzko said at a press conference at Glavred online magazine earlier Tuesday.

The remark suggested that Moskva and six other battleships that left Sevastopol earlier this month could have skipped sending the notice to Ukraine’s general staff.

Moskva, a battle-cruiser equipped with 16 cruise missiles capable of firing on targets within the range of 550-km, was earlier reported by Russian media to have received some light damages following the conflict off the Georgian coast.

Serhiy Kyrychenko, the chief of Ukraine’s general staff, said Friday that Ukraine’s defense forces would make sure that Russian battleship comply with Yushchenko’s decrees.

Ohryzko ruled out any hard-line tactic. “Of course, there will be no mine fields and no military clashes. We can’t even talk about that.”

The decrees require Russian battleships and aircraft, stationed in the Ukrainian port of Sevastopol, to submit to Ukrainian general staff a special notice at least 72 hours before crossing the Ukrainian border.

The notice should also provide the number of personnel on the battleship or the aircraft, as well as information on weapons, munitions, explosives and other military property.

The restrictions are aimed at preventing a situation, according to which Ukraine may be involved in a military conflict between Russia and a third party if the battleships participate.

Ukraine, which fears the battleships have been already used in the conflict with Georgia last week, argued that this puts Ukraine under threat of retaliation, since the battleships have been stationed in the Ukrainian port.

In general the restrictions make it more difficult for the Russian navy to cross the Ukrainian border, while making the process more time consuming. This may limit the military power of the BSF should Russia seek to use the forces again. (tl/ez)