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Officials from the Joint Coordination Center board the merchant ship Mehmet Bey as it waits to pass through the Bosphorus Strait off Yenikapi on a foggy morning in Istanbul, Turkey on October 31, 2022. Photo / REUTERS / Mehmet Emin Calsikan
The Russian Defense Ministry (Kemhan) explained that the move was triggered by the actions of Kiev, which had used the route to launch drone strikes.
The announcement follows a Ukrainian drone attack early Saturday morning that damaged several Russian ships used to monitor the Black Sea.
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Moscow blamed Britain for the incident near Sevastopol. Russia claims that a British Navy unit masterminded the operation from the port of Ochakov. London has denied the allegations.
“Any navigation through the designated security corridors under the Black Sea initiative (grain delivery) will be stopped until the situation around Ukraine … the terrorist attacks on military and civilian ships in Sevastopol are canceled “, reads the statement.
Officials also said Kiev has expressly pledged not to use the corridor for military purposes.
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At the same time, Moscow stated that Russia did not withdraw from the agreement, but only postponed it indefinitely.
On Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia is ready to compensate for the loss of Ukrainian grain exports to poorer countries with its own stocks.
