Ukraine at OSCE: Russia turning Sea of Azov into "internal lake"

18.11.2021 10:40

Ukrinform

Russia continues to use its military presence in the temporarily occupied Crimea to restrict freedom of navigation through the Kerch Strait and gradually transform the Sea of Azov into its "inland lake."

This was stated by Ukraine's Mission to the OSCE during a meeting of the OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation in Vienna on Wednesday, Ukrinform’s own correspondent reported.

The Russian Federation continues to block huge maritime areas in the Black Sea under the pretext of military exercises thus disrupting international trade and navigation. Using its military presence in the temporarily occupied Crime, the Russian Federation has been gradually transforming the Sea of Azov into its "internal lake," Ukrainian officials said.

The Ukrainian delegation members informed representatives of the OSCE participating States of the continued restrictions on freedom of navigation through the Kerch Strait, imposed by Russia.

According to open sources, in October 2021, the average duration of Russia-imposed artificial delays facing vessels heading from the Black Sea to Ukrainian ports in the Sea of Azov, Mariupol and Berdyansk, was 34.5 hours. Vessels carrying export goods in the opposite direction were being detained by Russia while exiting from the Sea of Azov by an average of 37.9 hours, Ukrainian diplomats said.

They pointed out that in the period from December 2018 to December 2020 due to the threat of the so-called "Azov package" of international sanctions against Russian ports, a slight decrease was observed in the average duration of arbitrary delays vessels were subjected to before leaving the Sea of Azov to the Black Sea. In 2018, the delay was 79.5 hours per vessel, while in 2019 it was 37.4 hours, and in 2020 – nearly 29.6 hours. However, over the nine months of 2021, this figure increased – to 39.7 hours per vessel."

"We urge the Russian Federation to end its aggression against Ukraine, reverse its illegal occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, de-occupy parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, and restore freedom of navigation in the Black Sea, through the Kerch Strait and in the Sea of Azov," the Ukrainian mission to the OSCE said.