Russia plans to shut down various areas of the Black Sea despite NATO warnings

Russia will today close access to three areas of the Black Sea to military vessels from other countries despite warnings from NATO and Ukraine, which consider the measure aggressive and illegal. According to the French Defense Ministry’s Navigation and Oceanography Bulletin, the closure will take effect at 9:00 p.m. local time and will be in effect until October 31.

All three sectors are in Russia’s annexation of the Crimean Peninsula in 2014, where the Russian military held military exercises this week. It is the sector which goes from the port of Sebastopol to that of Gurzuf; the coastal area in front of the Opuk nature reserve, which houses a military polygon; and a small area near the western end of the peninsula.

The Defense insists that such a closure will not affect the Kerch Strait, which separates Crimea from the mainland and connects the Sea of ​​Azov – shared by Russia and Ukraine – with the Black Sea.

The source reported at the time that the closure was prompted by firing maneuvers, which include artillery shells and missiles, as well as technical work in the area.

However, Ukraine described the closure of a new attempt to “violate” international navigation regulations and “usurp” Ukraine’s right as a “coastal country”.

Since the construction by Russia of the bridge connecting the peninsula to the mainland, Kiev has accused Moscow of wanting to transform the Azov into an inland sea.

Meanwhile, NATO deemed Russia’s decision “unjustified” and called on it to guarantee “free access to Ukrainian ports in the Sea of ​​Azov”, among which stand out Mariupol and Berdyansk. The European Union also called on Moscow this week to reconsider its decision, which Brussels sees as a further violation of international law and a destabilizing factor in the region.

Russia continued with its plans despite the US giving up sending two ships – destroyers “Roosevelt” and “Donald Cook” – to the Black Sea.

Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu on Thursday announced the withdrawal of troops deployed in Crimea and near the Ukrainian border in large-scale maneuvers, which Kiev planned to prepare for possible military action in the Donbass.

Ukraine and the West hailed the withdrawal, which began on Friday on the peninsula and the Black Sea with the return of ships to their ports.

Russia has called on the United States to “stay away” from Crimea and the Black Sea. “It’s for his own good,” said Sergei Riabkov, Deputy Foreign Minister.

US President Joe Biden has given his Ukrainian colleague Volodymyr Zelensky his full support for the Russian “aggression” and in a telephone conversation called on Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin to reduce tensions with the neighboring country .

The concentration of troops ordered by Russia on the border with Ukraine and in Crimea – the Ukrainian region annexed by Moscow in 2014 – is the “largest on record” in this region and amounts to around 150,000 troops., denounced a few days ago Josep Borrell, high representative of the foreign policy of the European Union (EU). According to the head of European diplomacy, military deployment implies that “The risk of further escalation is obvious.” “The deployment continues with more military assets and field hospitals. It is the largest deployment of the Russian army on the Ukrainian border ”. And he reaffirmed that the EU will not recognize Russia’s annexation of Crimea, ”he said.

The statements came at a meeting that foreign ministers from the 27 countries of the European Union kicked off a video conference on Monday to discuss the dramatic escalation of tensions between Ukraine and Russia .

“This military build-up must stop and we call on Russia to initiate a de-escalation”demanded the head of European diplomacy, who sees with “great concern” the development of events on the Ukrainian border, since the maneuvers involve a large number of soldiers and this means that “a spark can jump”.

With information from EFE

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