FILE IMAGE: nv.ru
The Kerch Strait east of Crimea has been reportedly closed by Russian forces for Ukrainian vessels since August 14.
According to Ukrainian media, no vessels heading to Ukrainian ports in the Sea of Azov passed the strait in the period from August 14 to August 21.
Experts link this situation with a series of hostile acts carried out by the Ukrainian side against Russian vessles in the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea. On August 10, the authorities of the Ukrainian port of Kherson seized the Russian tanker Mekhanik Pogodin. Earlier, on March 25, Ukraine’s coast guard detained Nord, a Russian Fishing boat in the Sea of Azov. These actions forced Moscow to employ additional security measures and to increase pressure on the Ukraine in the area.
