Ukraine Offers Plan to Bypass Russia’s Black Sea Blockade

livemint.com:

maritime drones on a Russian warship and a bridge linking Russia to the occupied Crimean Peninsula. “The Ukrainian Navy’s decision to protect vessels closer to the Ukrainian coastline comes after Ukraine’s recent demonstrations of longer-range capabilities, including drones, demonstrating both defense and offensive capabilities in the maritime domain. Ukraine has vowed to fight back against Russia, and Ukraine is good for its word," said Thea Dunlevie, a senior analyst at the Center for Maritime Strategy, a think tank in the Washington area.

Ukraine has also threatened ships heading to Russian ports and declared a “war risk" area along Russia’s Black Sea coast in what military experts say is an attempt to freeze out some commercial shipping from the area. Turkish and United Nations officials are working to prod Russia to rejoin the grain agreement, in which Ukraine was allowed to reopen three of its major Black Sea ports for grain exports in an agreement that lowered global food prices. Ukraine, which is one of the world’s largest exporters of wheat, corn and sunflower oil, exported more than 32 million tons of food under the agreement, in which Russian, Turkish, Ukrainian and U.N.

officials worked together to guide ships along a designated maritime corridor. The public will be able to monitor the vessels that decide to participate through a broadcast, officials say. The livestream would guarantee that “these vessels do not create any military threats," said Chalyk.