Russian Navy does not block ships in Black Sea, but resorts to tricks – Ukrainian Navy

The Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation currently does not block vessels in the Black Sea. The Russian military is busy guarding its permanent deployment points and the coast.

Source: Dmytro Pletenchuk, spokesman for the Ukrainian Navy, in an interview with Radio Liberty

Quote: "Now, they are mostly busy with the protection and defence of their permanent deployment points, bases and coast. Their tactics in the Black Sea were reduced to a very simple formula: 12 nautical miles is a sovereign territory; this is the so-called territorial sea. This is the part of the sea from the shore, which is actually the state's territory."

Details: However, the Russian fleet resorts to tricks to create the appearance of control over the Black Sea and cargo traffic, both to domestic Russian audiences and to the world, Pletenchuk says. 

Quote: "Using international law, they block off a section of the sea in this part of the internal economic zone and announce there, for example, firing exercises.

This is allowed. And, accordingly, they have a legal reason to control this area. They always do them  [training - ed.] on trade routes to complicate navigation in this way. Some ships, of course, do not pay attention to this, realising that it is all a fake.

There are no reasons for this; there is no mandate. Who can declare an embargo, for example, a blockade? International organisations should voice this. And Russia understands this very well, which is why they resort to such tricks. But at the same time, their rhetoric for the domestic audience is completely different. In the informational and international space itself, [it sounds – ed.] precisely as the prevention of arms smuggling."

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