Ships Sailing to Ukraine to Be Seen as Carrying Military Cargo

On Wednesday, the Russian Defense Ministry said that it will regard all ships sailing in the waters of the Black Sea to Ukrainian ports as "potential carriers of military cargo."

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"Due to the termination of the Black Sea Initiative, and the curtailment of the maritime humanitarian corridor, all ships en route to Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea will be considered potential carriers of military cargo from 00:00 Moscow time on July 20, 2023," it said.

The Russian Defense Ministry noted that the countries whose flags will be present on those vessels will be viewed as parties to the conflict from the Ukrainian side.

Some areas in the northwestern and southeastern parts of the international waters of the Black Sea have been temporarily declared dangerous for navigation.

Russia and Ukraine signed separately with Türkiye and the United Nations the Black Sea Grain Initiative in Istanbul in July 2022, which allowed Ukraine to export its grain and other agricultural products from its Black Sea ports.

Moscow suspended its participation in the agreement on July 17, 2023, saying that it would return to the deal as soon as the Russian part of the agreements is fulfilled.

Despite the stance adopted by Russia, international efforts to keep this agreement in force have not yet ceased. Earlier this week, for example, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that a multilateral deal allowed for shipments of grain and other agricultural products from Ukraine's Black Sea ports could be saved.