Ukrainian ports continue to suffer colossal losses due to Russian countermeasures
Due to Russia's actions in the Azov and Black Seas, consumers in the United States and the European Union may be left without Ukrainian steel and grain.
Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Volodymyr Omelyan complained about this on Channel 5, as reported by a PolitNavigator correspondent.
According to the minister, the ports of Mariupol and Berdyansk have already received 10 to 16 percent less profit since the beginning of the year.
“The Kerch Bridge, the seizure of Crimea is just the beginning of a long story - Russia is using all measures to destabilize the region. First of all, in the Sea of Azov. Our two key ports in this place are Mariupol and Berdyansk; we record a loss of cargo traffic in the case of Mariupol for the first half of the year of 10%, in the case of Berdyansk - 16%. There are significant restrictions on cargo flows, on the supply of cast iron to both the United States of America and the European Union, and grain in these directions,” Omelyan said.
Let us recall that after the capture of the Crimean fishing vessel “Nord” by Ukrainian border guards and the launch of traffic on the Crimean Bridge, the Russian Federation significantly strengthened security measures in the Black and Azov Seas. The Border Service of the FSB of the Russian Federation conducts inspections of ships traveling through the Kerch Strait in order to neutralize the threat of sabotage, which Ukrainian officials, bloggers and so-called activists have repeatedly threatened. In Ukraine, these actions are considered a manifestation of aggression and they are calling for a UN and NATO convoy to be sent into the Sea of Azov.
Ukrainian ports continue to suffer colossal losses due to Russian countermeasures.