Ukraine calls UN to respond to Russian terror in Black Sea
Minister of Community Development, Territories, and Infrastructure of Ukraine, Oleksandr Kubrakov (photo: Getty Images)
The actions of the Russian Federation regarding the stopping of a civilian ship in the Black Sea constitute a blatant disregard for the rights of Black Sea states to freedom of navigation and the rights of foreign vessels to peaceful passage through the territorial sea of coastal countries, according to a statement by Ukraine's Minister of Community, Territory, and Infrastructure Development, Oleksandr Kubrakov.
Kubrakov announced that Ukraine has called on the UN and its partners to strongly respond to Russia's actions and to make every effort to stop the terror in the Black Sea and take measures against the Russian Federation as a member state of the International Maritime Organization.
"To avoid provocations, we recommend to the captains of vessels heading to/from Ukrainian maritime ports to sail as close as possible to the coastline of the northwestern part of the Black Sea through the territorial waters of Türkiye, Romania, and Bulgaria," the minister added.
Russia halts foreign ship in the Black Sea
On August 13, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that it had halted a foreign ship in the Black Sea. The ship purportedly was en route to the port of Izmail in the Odesa region.
According to Russia, one of its military vessels fired "warning shots" at the cargo ship in the Black Sea after it allegedly failed to respond to demands to stop.
Türkiye's reaction
Türkiye is aware of the incident involving a foreign ship halted by Russian military in the Black Sea.
A spokesperson for the Turkish Ministry of Defense stated that they are aware of the incident related to a ship en route to Romania and confirmed that official authorities are investigating it.
Ukraine's reaction
Advisor to the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Mykhailo Podolyak, stated that Russia conducted a deliberate shelling to halt a civilian ship in the Black Sea.
He emphasized that this constitutes an act of piracy.
What preceded this?
Russia announced its withdrawal from the "grain deal" citing alleged non-compliance with its demands. Meanwhile, Russian occupiers began shelling Odesa, targeting the port and port infrastructure.
The last ship with Ukrainian products left the port of Odesa on July 16.
Following its withdrawal from the "grain deal," Russia threatened to sink ships heading to Ukrainian ports. In response, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense issued a similar warning, stating that all vessels en route to Russian ports or ports in temporarily occupied territories would be treated as carrying military cargo.
On August 10, the Ukrainian Naval Forces announced that Ukraine had opened corridors in the Black Sea for commercial vessels.
