Russia’s defence ministry said that on Sunday, a Russian warship in the Black Sea fired warning shots and boarded a cargo ship that it believes was sailing to Ukraine.
In July, Russia withdrew from a pact that had been negotiated by the UN and Turkey to allow Ukraine to transport its grain across the Black Sea and issued a warning that any ships sailing towards Ukraine would be seen as potentially carrying weapons. Ships heading to Russian ports were threatened in a similar manner by Ukraine.
The dry cargo ship, flying the flag of Palau, was ordered to stop for an inspection, but the skipper allegedly ignored the order and fired warning shots.
According to the statement, the Russian navy “opened warning fire from automatic small arms fire to forcefully stop the vessel.”
The ship, Sukru Okan, according to the ministry, was sailing for the Ukrainian port of Izmail. According to marine traffic statistics, the cargo ship is currently en route to the nearby Izmail port of Sulina in Romania. Regarding whether or not the ship was en route to a Ukrainian port, Kiev did not immediately respond.
The patrol ship Vasily Bykov lifted a Ka-29 helicopter carrying a detachment of Russian servicemen to check the bulk cargo ship, the ministry reported. According to the statement, “Following radio conversations, the ship changed course, and the boarding team landed on the bulk cargo ship.”
This week, Ukraine declared that it would permit temporary humanitarian passage for ships to and from its ports and that registration for commercial ships using the maritime route had begun.
Both Russia and Ukraine are significant grain producers, and their agreement—a rare point of consensus in the midst of a war—contributed significantly to price stabilisation.
Russia’s pullout, according to Kyiv, is equivalent to an embargo of Ukrainian goods. Russia has long lamented its inability to export its own food.
The temporary routes, according to a spokesperson for the Ukrainian Navy named Dmytro Pletenchuk, aim to address the world food security crisis and will enable shipowners and businesses to “finally take back their merchant vessels that are in humanitarian captivity due to the constant threats of Russians at sea.”
Pletenchuk stated that ship owners and captains have been alerted to the threat and that the Ukrainian Armed Forces will assist in ensuring the security of the merchant ships passing through the passageways, with the Navy “doing everything we can to ensure security.”
Given the risks involved, it is yet uncertain when ships might use the route.
