Navy does not observe Russian ships in corridor for merchant ships in Black Sea

"This system, it is established in the sense of communications. Interested persons know the procedure. Registration is already open, a coordinator is working, so in the near future we are waiting for the first units to go," Dmytro Pletenchuk, spokesman for the Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said during the United News national telethon.

According to him, the working conditions of the corridor are difficult because Russia has constantly threatened the owners of these merchant vessels, intimidated them.

At the same time, the military warned ship owners and captains that it was now impossible to guarantee one hundred percent safety of ships.

"However, all this happens under the control of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. We do everything that depends on us. Only later it will become clear how this corridor will work. And currently, we do not observe Russian ships in this part of the Black Sea. We haven't seen them for quite a long time. They are now mostly in the northeastern part of the Black Sea, closer to their internationally recognized shores, i.e. Novorossiysk," Pletenchuk said.

On August 10, 2023, Ukraine announced new temporary routes for merchant vessels going to/from the Black Sea seaports of Ukraine, but a military threat and mine danger from the Russian Federation remains throughout all routes.