Russian Naval Exercise in Azov-Black Sea Region Causing Blockade of Ukrainian Ports: Kiev

Ukraine has claimed Russia’s continued efforts to militarize the Black Sea region besides transferring additional landing ships to the Azov and Black Seas "for training" has led to the ports in the region being blocked.

In a statement, the Ukrainian defense ministry said Russia declared large areas of the Azov and Black Sea areas unsafe to sail for the period from 13 to 19 February in connection with exercises involving missile and artillery fire.

Ukraine claimed that by blocking the recommended sea lanes, Russia made it impossible to navigate in these areas and allow ships to enter Ukrainian seaports, especially in the Sea of Azov. It is a clear violation of both the spirit and the conditions of the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, the ministry said. Kyiv says that Russia’s actions pose another threat to its sovereign rights in the exclusive maritime economic zone.

"Russia continues to actively militarize the Crimean Peninsula, continues to use the temporarily occupied territory as a training ground. We are currently witnessing training and the accumulation of weapons in this regard, the withdrawal and deployment of units of the Russian Armed Forces, the blocking of the Azov and Black Seas 'for training'- a tactic of creeping occupation of the sea, which they have long been using. If there is no joint reaction from the world to these attempts of pressure, the Kremlin, and not just the Kremlin, could use such tactics around the globe. Our partners have demonstrated a strong response by supplying weapons. Currently, we expect a strong response from the partners: when the Russian Federation’s vessels will be not able to entry easily civilized ports, they will see the price for their impudence,” said Oleksii Reznikov, Minister of Defence of Ukraine.

The Ukrainian military is likely to receive Britain-manufactured Brimstone missiles to counter the Russian navy in the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea. Ukrainian Ambassador to the UK Vadym Prystaiko told on Novoye Vremya radio that with “real weapons” supplied by the UK, Kyiv will finally have something to counter the Russians at sea.