The Russian Defense Ministry has pledged additional ferries to transport people and cars from to Crimea to meet the growing demand of the high season in the newly absorbed region.

      Four ferries with a capacity of 180 tons will help ease the transportation issue, the RIA Novosti news agency cites the Defense Ministry’s press service as saying.

      Russia has sparked a wave of criticism after it incorporated Crimea into its territory following a referendum on the peninsula with a large ethnic Russian population.

      The US and the EU imposed a raft of sanctions on Russian officials and individuals with close ties to the Kremlin. NATO suspended all "practical civilian and military cooperation" with Russia and said it would now regard Moscow as more of an adversary.