The Ukrainian government has announced that it will consider any vessel heading to Russian ports or Russian-controlled ports in Ukraine, as military targets starting on July 21.
in a statement, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense of Ukraine warned that “from 00:00 on July 21, 2023, all vessels heading in the waters of the Black Sea in the direction of seaports of the Russian Federation and Ukrainian seaports located on the territory of Ukraine temporarily occupied by Russia, may be considered by Ukraine as carrying military goods with all the associated risks.”
“The fate of the cruiser “Moscow” proves that the Defense Forces of Ukraine have the necessary means to repel Russian aggression at sea,” the statement added.
This comes as Russia made a similar announcement yesterday following the termination of the Black Sea Grain Deal.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense announced “In connection with the termination of the Black Sea initiative and the curtailment of the maritime humanitarian corridor from 00:00 Moscow time on July 20, 2023, all ships en route to Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea will be considered as potential carriers of military cargo,” the Russian Ministry of Defense said in a statement.
“Accordingly, the flag countries of such ships will be considered involved in the Ukrainian conflict on the side of the Kyiv regime,” the statement continues.
These two announcements have made it clear that any vessel in the Black Sea heading to Russia or Ukraine is a military target and is subject to attack. Ukrainian ports, namely Odessa, are still used by civilian merchant vessels to transport grain and other goods out of the country. While Ukraine does not have significant naval assets in service outside of small patrol vessels, Ukrainian forces are armed with western-supplied R-360 Neptune anti-ship missiles, which were involved in the sinking of the Russian missile cruiser Moskva last April.
