Any ships travelling to Ukraine's Black Sea ports from Thursday will be suspected of possibly carrying military cargo, Russia warned on Wednesday, after Kyiv said it was setting up a temporary shipping route to try to continue exporting grain.
The announcements from both countries came days after Russia withdrew from a deal – brokered by the UN and Turkey – that allowed the safe Black Sea export of Ukrainian grain for the past year.
Ukraine has said it wants to try to continue grain shipments, telling the UN shipping agency the International Maritime Organisation that it had “decided to establish on a temporary basis a recommended maritime route”.
But Russia's Defence Ministry said it would view all ships travelling to Ukraine as potentially carrying military cargo and “the flag countries of such ships will be considered parties to the Ukrainian conflict”.
Moscow declared south-eastern and north-western parts of the Black Sea's international waters temporarily unsafe for navigation, but the ministry did not give details about the specific areas affected.
In a statement on the Telegram messaging app, the ministry said the measures would start at midnight Moscow time.
It did not say what action it might take against those in breach of these measures.
Ukraine accused Russia on Wednesday of damaging grain export infrastructure in “hellish” overnight strikes focused on two of its Black Sea ports.
Black Sea grain deal ends – in pictures
In a televised meeting with senior officials on Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin blamed western countries he said had “completely distorted” the expired grain deal, but added that Russia would “immediately” return to the agreement if all its conditions for doing so were met.
The White House warned that Russia may be serious in attacking ships in the Black Sea.
The US has information that Russian forces have placed sea mines near Ukrainian ports, White House National Security Council spokesman Adam Hodge said on Wednesday.
“We believe that this is a co-ordinated effort to justify any attacks against civilian ships in the Black Sea and lay blame on Ukraine for these attacks,” he said.
Insurers have been reviewing their appetite for covering ships sailing to Ukraine.
A cargo insurance facility providing cover for Ukraine grain shipments travelling under the Black Sea deal has been suspended, the policy's broker told Reuters on Tuesday.
The marine cargo and war facility provided cover of up to $50 million per cargo.
Norwegian shipping insurance group DNK, which provides war risk policies, told Reuters on Wednesday it was currently unable to provide cover for Ukraine.
The UN said on Tuesday there were a “number of ideas being floated” to help get Ukrainian and Russian grain and fertiliser to global markets after Moscow withdrew from the Black Sea deal.
The pact was brokered to combat a global food crisis worsened by Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine and Russia are among the world's top grain exporters.
Russia's withdrawal also ended a pact between the UN and Moscow in which officials from the world body agreed to help Russian food and fertiliser exports reach world markets.
Moscow said it had withdrawn from the deal because it said that its demands had not been met and complained that not enough Ukrainian grain was reaching poor countries.
But the UN argued the arrangement has benefited poor countries by helping lower food prices more than 20 per cent globally.
Ukraine has also been a key supplier of grain to the UN World Food Programme's efforts to fight hunger.
