KIEV, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- The Ukrainian sailors detained during the Kerch incident will meet their lawyers by the end of the year, the head of the lawyers' group Nikolay Polozov said here on Monday.

"Currently, investigative actions with the sailors are underway," Polozov was quoted as saying by the Ukrainian government-run Ukrinform news agency.

The group of lawyers, who are ready to defend the Ukrainian sailors, is working in concert with the national authorities, Polozov said.

On Nov. 25, Russian forces seized three Ukrainian naval ships as well as 24 sailors on board attempting to sail through the Kerch Strait from the Black Sea to the Sea of Azov, alleging that they violated the Russian border. Kiev has since then constantly urged Moscow to release the captured sailors.