Yuri Kobzar14:29, 03.03.24

There have been at least several recorded cases where Russians had to turn their ships around and sail back to their port of departure.

Turkey has likely begun to block the transit of Russian cargo ships carrying weapons and stolen Ukrainian grain through the Bosphorus. According to the Crimean Wind monitoring group , in recent days several Russian ships have been stuck on both sides of the strait.

According to observers, the bulk carrier GRUMANT left the port of occupied Sevastopol with a cargo of grain on February 28. However, I was never able to get through to the Mediterranean Sea – for the past 3 days the ship has been in front of the Bosphorus, periodically changing moorings. The bulk carrier ZAFAR is in a similar situation, also loaded with stolen Ukrainian grain.

In the opposite direction – from the Mediterranean to the Black Sea – the YAZ and SPARTA IV transport ships, which were transporting weapons and ammunition from Syria to Russia, were unable to pass through the Bosphorus. On the evening of February 26, they were forced to turn back. As of March 2, YAZ is in the Syrian port of Tartus, and SPARTA IV has disappeared from view of observers.

“Presumably, Turkey, two years after the start of the Russian war against Ukraine, began to react to the secret transportation of weapons and stolen grain,” writes Crimean Wind.

Turkish Straits

As UNIAN wrote, according to the Montreux Convention, signed in the mid-1930s, the passage of warships of warring countries through the Turkish straits is prohibited. For this reason, since the end of February 2022, Turkey has not allowed either Russian or Ukrainian warships to pass through the straits.

At the same time, the convention allows the passage of any “merchant ships” through the straits, including those of warring countries. Russia has repeatedly abused this by using civilian vessels to carry military supplies from and to Syria.

(C)UNIAN 2024