Ukrainian President's Office Director Andriy Yermak indicated today, Friday, that Russia threatens the security of civilian vessels in the Black Sea, urging the international community to denounce what he termed "terrorist methods." Yermak wrote on the Telegram app, "Russian warships threaten civilian vessels in the Black Sea, violating all standards of international maritime law."
In a separate statement, the Ukrainian Border Guard reported that it detected a warning sent by a Russian warship to a civilian vessel near a Ukrainian port yesterday, Thursday. The statement quoted the Russian side as saying, "We warn you of the ban on sailing to Ukrainian ports." The statement added from the Russian side, "Transporting any shipments to Ukraine is considered, from Russia's perspective, a potential transport of military cargo," noting that the country whose flag the ship flies would be considered a party to the conflict with Ukraine.
