Russia says it will sink all ships in the Black Sea that go to Ukrainian ports
The Russian Defense Ministry will consider all ships in the Black Sea heading to Ukrainian ports to be military vessels
All vessels in the Black Sea heading to Ukrainian ports will be considered as potential carriers of military cargo, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.
The decision was made in connection with the termination of the Black Sea Initiative and the closure of the maritime humanitarian corridor.
The decision comes into force at 00.00 Moscow time on July 20, the Ministry said in a statement.
"The countries of the flag of such vessels will be considered involved in the Ukrainian conflict on the side of the Kyiv regime," the Russian Defense Ministry emphasizes, adding that a number of areas in the northwestern and southeastern parts of the international waters of the Black Sea have been declared temporarily dangerous for navigation.
On July 17, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the grain deal had been suspended. Moscow's position on this issue had been announced before the attack on the Crimean bridge, and the terrorist attack did not affect it, the spokesman said.
Background. Meanwhile, it has been reported that Ukraine is considering the possibility of restoring the "grain corridor" with convoys. This option will be considered together with Turkey and other partners.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy ordered the Foreign Ministry to propose to the UN and Turkey to resume the work of the grain corridor without Moscow's participation. However, the issue of security guarantees for grain carriers has not yet been resolved.
Turkey, one of the guarantors of the agreement with Russia, does not want to involve its fleet in escorting grain ships and considers such a step risky, a source familiar with the situation told Bloomberg. The US has also refused to provide military escorts for ships leaving Ukrainian ports.
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