Russia declares its Black Sea waters unsafe for navigation

Russia has warned all vessels that navigation within its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the Black Sea is unsafe, Bloomberg reported. The move follows a series of strikes by Ukraine’s Defense Forces against vessels linked to Russia.

The warning was published on the website of Russia’s Ministry of Defense on July 22. It comes as Ukraine continues to carry out daily attacks on vessels in the Black and Azov seas in an effort to disrupt Russia’s commodity export flows and increase pressure on the Kremlin to return to negotiations.

Bloomberg notes that an exclusive economic zone extends up to 200 nautical miles from a country’s coastline. In the Black Sea, Russia’s EEZ covers several national ports, including Novorossiysk, the country’s largest export hub for commodity shipments.

According to Ukraine’s General Staff, at least 124 Russia-linked vessels, including 89 tankers, were attacked in the Black and Azov seas between July 8 and July 20. Bloomberg said it was unable to independently verify the reported number of vessels targeted.

Earlier, due to the threat posed by Ukrainian drones, the Port of Novorossiysk temporarily imposed an oral navigation ban from 00:00 to 05:00, a measure expected to slow vessel loading operations at the port.

Tags: Russia, export, grain, Black Sea region, wheat, restrictions