Russian Defense Ministry expressed that any ship traveling to Ukraine would be considered as delivering weapons to Kyiv armies, and this action would be viewed as a part of the war. Kremlin has warned any ship traveling to Ukrainian black sea ports will be considered potential military targets as Kyiv announced it would declare a temporary shipping path to export its agricultural products. Recently, Moscow withdrew from an agreement allowing Ukraine to send its food products through its ports, after which Kyiv ultimately declared a temporary shipment route.

On Wednesday, the Russian Defense Ministry department said that any ship traveling to Ukraine would be believed as carrying artillery and flag countries as parties in the Moscow-Kyiv tension. The ministry issued a statement on Telegram saying they would launch and implement a new policy at midnight towards ships traveling through the Black Sea to the country at war. However, they gave no information on what possible actions they might take and to what extent.

Russia also declared southeastern and northwestern regions of Black Sea’s international waters dangerous for navigation, the Kremlin defense ministry expressed but gave no further information on what parts of the sea would be affected. In this regard, Kyiv declared a short-term route for the ships through Romania, one of its neighbors on the Black Sea.

Kyiv’s current minister for communities, territories, and infrastructure development, Vasyl Shkurakov, wrote a letter to the United Nations Shipping Agency, the International Maritime Organization. The letter says Ukraine announced the new route to facilitate the unblocking of international navigation in the northwestern part of the Black Sea.

Kremlin Broke The Deal and Wants its Demands to Be Fulfilled

When Russia invaded Ukraine in February last year, Kyiv’s Black Sea ports were facing a blocking by warships until the Black Sea grain deal came into place, which allowed Ukraine to open its ports for the international trade of grain. Kremlin, On Monday, stepped back from the deal after complaining for months that its foods and fertilizers are not regarded. It broke its contract and warned any ship from approaching Ukraine. In addition, Moscow accused Kyiv of using its ports and grain corridor for military purposes.

Many countries have condemned these Russian actions of leaving the agreement and feared it would raise grain prices and affect many African regions, which are mostly dependent upon Ukrainian grains. On Wednesday, Kremlin president Vladimir Putin once again expressed that they would only revive the year-old agreement once its demands were met. Russia wants to deliver its agricultural products and fertilizers to the global market, which is one of the demands the Kremlin is serious about. American and European nations deny this demand saying there are a lot of sanctions on Russia that prohibit it from exporting commodities.

Earlier this Wednesday, Moscow’s armies attacked the Ukrainian port city of Odesa through massive drones and missile launches, the second attack in a row. This city of Odesa used to be the main point for Kyiv’s agriculture exports during the recent grain agreement. Ukrainian Military declared the Kremlin forces hit storage facilities and ship-loading infrastructure. The massive attack also hit grain terminals and cooking oil stations. Odesa Mayor said they hadn’t witnessed such a big attack since the Russian large-scale invasion of Ukraine started.