Russia questioned the legality of a Canadian-U.S. probe into the alleged ramming last week off Massachusetts of an American trawler by a Russian-owned tanker, which resulted in the deaths of three fishermen. Sergei Palekhov, head of the Russian Transport Ministry's maritime section, said international law demanded the investigation be held in Cyprus, where the tanker Virgo is registered, and that Russian officials have access to the crew. "We would like to know what is being done to study the (other) ships -- and there were about 10 of them -- which were in the region of the U.S. trawler," Palekhov said. He added that the ministry had sent a letter to Canada's maritime authorities expressing its concerns.