Russia is not currently blocking ships in Black Sea, but guarding its deployment sites - Ukrainian Navy

Dmytro Pletenchuk, a spokesman for the Ukrainian Navy, said this on Radio Liberty.

"Now they are mostly busy protecting and defending their permanent deployment points, their base locations, and their coastline. Their tactics in the Black Sea were reduced to a very simple formula: 12 nautical miles is sovereign territory, the so-called territorial sea. This is the part of the sea from the shore that is actually the territory of the state," the spokesman emphasized.

According to him, the Russian Black Sea Fleet resorts to tricks to create the appearance of control over the sea and cargo transportation both for the domestic Russian audience and for the world.

"They are using international law to block a section of the sea in this part of the internal economic zone and announce, for example, a shooting exercise. This is allowed," Pletenchuk said.

It is noted that the Russians have a legal reason to control this area. The invaders are constantly conducting exercises on trade routes to complicate navigation in this way.

In fact, the Russian Navy does not have such authority at sea, so it resorts to tricks, officially hiding behind exercises, the navy spokesman adds.

The grain corridor: Background

On July 17, Russia announced the termination of the grain deal. In response, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that it was necessary to continue using the grain corridor despite Russia's withdrawal from the agreement. 

On July 30, despite the completion of the grain deal, three civilian cargo ships of foreign origin passed the Russian blockade in the Black Sea and anchored in one of Ukraine's grain ports in the Danube Delta.

On August 4, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Oleksiy Danilov said that Ukraine would send ships with its own grain to wherever it deems necessary and would not ask anyone for permission.

On August 10, the Ukrainian Navy announced a temporary humanitarian corridor for merchant ships sailing to and from Ukrainian ports.

On August 16, the first vessel left the port of Odesa after Russia announced that it will terminate the grain deal on July 16, 2023. On the same day, the UN Food Organization emphasized the need to renew the grain agreement to overcome the global crisis.

On August 26, the second vessel left the port of Odesa after Russia announced the termination of the grain deal on July 16, 2023

On Friday, September 1, two ships blocked by the war left the Pivdennyi port in Odesa region. They headed through a temporary corridor toward the Bosphorus.