Accompanied by criticism from the West, Russia wants to close several sea areas in the Black Sea near the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea, which was incorporated in 2014, from today. Foreign warships and other state ships are no longer allowed to cross these waters until October 31, but cargo ships can, according to the Ministry of Defense in Moscow. The area from the Crimean city of Sevastopol to Gurzuf is said to be affected.
Shipping through the Kerch Strait, which connects the Black Sea with the Sea of Azov, should not be affected. The strait is considered an international body of water. In November 2018, two Ukrainian military ships were prevented from attempting passage there by the Russian coast guard and 24 Ukrainian sailors were arrested. They were not released until 2020.
Criticism of the announced closures came from the EU, Ukraine and NATO. The EU Commission spokesman for external relations, Peter Stano, called on Russia to stop the project. Stano told the Russian state agency TASS yesterday that it was a matter of „further violations of international law“ and destabilizing the region.
