Russia will ban the passage of foreign ships, military and official, in part of the Black Sea for six months, from April 24 to October 31. This was announced by the Defense Ministry quoted by the Ria Novosti agency, in what appears to be a further escalation in the tug-of-war in progress in the region where according to the West, Russia is amassing troops in the Crimea and on the border with Ukraine. The restrictions, which do not affect cargo ships, will involve the western side of Crimea, the southern coast of the peninsula from Sevastopol to Hurzuf, and the space off Kerch near the Opuksky nature reserve.
A European official, anonymously, called the move “a very worrying development”, in contradiction with maritime free passage rules and international law. One of the areas affected by the ban on the passage of foreign military ships is near the Kerch Strait, which connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Azov and is of vital importance for the export of grain and steel from Ukraine. The strait was the scene of the clash between Moscow and Kiev in 2018, when Russia seized three Ukrainian ships for alleged violations of its territorial waters, not recognized as such internationally after the annexation of Crimea in 2014.
Meanwhile, Moscow also announced the expulsion of five Polish diplomats in retaliation after the similar decision in Warsaw which yesterday declared three Russian diplomats persona non grata in solidarity with American sanctions. “We noticed the speed with which Warsaw played the game of the American administration, demanding the removal of three Russian diplomats,” stressed the Moscow Foreign Ministry, announcing the reprisal.