Russia’s defense ministry said on Wednesday that it had imposed restrictions on movement of ships and aircraft in the Kerch Strait.
Movement in the Kerch Strait has been restricted for surface and underwater vessels as well as aircraft, with the exception of ships sailing during daylight hours along fairways and recommended routes through the Kerch Strait in transit or to ports in the Kerch Strait, state news agency TASS reported citing information from Russia´s Defense Ministry website.
“The navigation of all vessels, water and underwater transport, anchoring, docking and flying aircraft, people being in the water as well as other activities are banned in the area bounded by the coastline… with the exception of vessels sailing during daylight hours along fairways and recommended routes through the Kerch Strait in transit or to ports located in the Kerch Strait,” the defense ministry said.
Additionally, the Russian defense ministry said a special inspection area has been created for ships sailing from the Black Sea.
It was also reported today by the Russian news agency that Russia may return to the implementation of the grain deal, but its terms must be fulfilled.
“For this, European countries simply need to take a number of measures to remove restrictions – disconnecting Rosselkhozbank [Russian Agricultural Bank] from SWIFT and others,” said the Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
Following weeks of negotiations the Black Sea grain deal expired on 17 July. Russia had originally said that it will participate in the deal on the condition that its terms to remove “illegitimate obstacles to the supply of grain and fertilizers from Russia to world markets would be observed.”
The grain deal could be resumed “in a new form” but this requires concrete action on the part of the West, as it is reported by the Russian media.
Ukraine accused Russia of damaging another elevator in the port of Izmail, Odesa region, according to authorities in Kyiv.
Ukraine’s defence ministry said another elevator in the port of Izmail was damaged by Russians: “Ukrainian grain has the potential to feed millions of people worldwide,” the ministry wrote on social platform Twitter.
Romanian President Klaus Iohannis has condemned Russia’s attacks on infrastructure on the Danube River in southern Ukraine, calling it a war crime.
“Russia’s continued attacks against the Ukrainian civilian infrastructure on Danube, in the proximity of Romania, are unacceptable. These are war crimes and they further affect UA’s capacity to transfer their food products towards those in need in the world,” the president said in a statement.
