Starting from 20 July 2023, all vessels sailing in the waters of the Black Sea to Ukrainian ports will be regarded as potential carriers of military cargo, the Russian Ministry of Defence declared in a statement.
Per the ministry, the countries of such vessels will be, accordingly, considered to be involved in the Ukraine war on the side of Ukraine. The ministry also announced that “a number of sea areas in the north-western and south-eastern parts of the international waters of the Black Sea have been declared temporarily dangerous for navigation”.
“Corresponding information warnings on the withdrawal of safety guarantees to mariners have been issued in accordance with the established procedure,” the statement concludes.
On 22 July 2022, Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, and the UN signed the grain deal, agreeing on a safe maritime corridor for commercial grain ships leaving the Ukrainian ports of Odesa, Tchornomorsk, and Yuzhny. The deal was extended several times.
On 17 July, the Russian authorities announced the expiration of the deal, with Russia not extending it, starting from 18 July. The Russian Foreign Ministry said that Moscow would be withdrawing its guarantees for the safety of navigation, shutting down the maritime humanitarian corridor, and once again declaring the north-western waters of the Black Sea a temporarily dangerous area.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv intended to do everything possible to ensure the continued export of Ukrainian grain. “We had two agreements: the first involved Ukraine, Turkey, and the UN; the second involved Russia, Turkey, and the UN. So when Russia says it’s stopping [the grain deal], it’s aborting its agreements with UN Secretary-General Guterres and President Erdogan. Not with us. We did not have any agreements with them,” Zelensky said.
