In response to threats from Moscow, Ukraine plans to crack down on ships calling at Russian-controlled Black Sea ports. The Ministry of Defense pointed out today in Kiev that such ships can be considered transports of “cargo for military purposes”.
The new regulation applies from midnight local time (23:00 CEST). Russia has already threatened ships calling at Ukrainian ports with attacks and withdrawn earlier security guarantees.
Passage through the Kerch Strait to the Sea of Azov, on the Russian-occupied peninsula of Crimea, has been banned since 5:00 am local time (4:00 am CEST), the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said. The corresponding navigation notifications had already been published.
The ministry also recalled the Russian cruiser Moskva, which was sunk by missiles over a year ago. The Ukrainian Navy has repeatedly used marine drones against ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet and, presumably, also against the bridge to the Crimean Peninsula.