Russia Blocks Cargo Ship, Accuses It Of Supplying Explosives To Ukraine

According to reports from state-run news agencies, the Russian Federal Security Service (abbreviated FSB) mentioned blocking a foreign cargo vessel accused of providing Ukraine with explosives from entering Russia.

The vessel, sailing from Turkey to the southern Russian port of Rostov-on-Don to take on grain, was not permitted to cross the Kerch Strait that leads to the ports in occupied south Ukraine. The vessel was soon ordered to depart from Russian waters. The FSB said it found traces of explosives and signs of third-party interference in the dry cargo vessel’s structural parts on Saturday, per Interfax.

The circumstances can indicate the possibility of using a foreign civilian vessel to deliver explosives to Ukrainian territory, per the FSB. The FSB did not mention the ship’s country of origin or reveal where it was sailing to on being turned away. But the Russian intelligence agency mentioned that the vessel was docked at the port of Tuzla (Turkey) in July and the port of Kilia (Ukraine) in May, which changed a 12-man crew comprising Ukraine’s citizens.

The FSB mentioned examining other vessels travelling via the Kerch Strait to stop terrorist and sabotage activities. Russian inspections came one week after Moscow decided to pull out of an agreement that had permitted Ukraine to export millions of tons of grain, bypassing the Russian blockade of the Black Sea.

Reference: Live Mint, The Moscow Times, Reuters

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Source: Maritime Shipping News