The Dardanelles and Bosporus straits, which connect the Black Sea to the Mediterranean, are controlled by Turkey. That makes things difficult for Russia
while being towed back to port. Russia has two other ships of the same class, stationed with its Northern and Pacific fleets respectively. But it has no way of getting them to the Black Sea.
The reason is a treaty from 1936, known as the Montreux Convention, which regulates maritime traffic through the Dardanelles and Bosporus straits. Both straits, which connect the Black Sea to the Mediterranean, are controlled by Turkey. The convention grants unrestricted access to civilian vessels. Things get more complicated when warships are involved. Black Sea littoral countries—Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine—have the least fettered access.
In late February Turkey applied Montreux rules to prevent Russia from sending new warships into the Black Sea. At the time the move was thought to be largely symbolic; Russia already seemed to have enough ships in the sea to overwhelm Ukraine’s defences. But Turkey’s move appears to have had a decisive impact on the naval war. “We had information that four or five [Russian] ships from the Pacific fleet would come to the Black Sea,” says a Ukrainian diplomat.
If Turkey upholds its promise to maintain application of the Montreux rules, Russian naval assets will have to stay away. Whether that will be enough to prevent Russia from seizing southern Ukraine is unclear. But even if it were to do so, Russia would not reduce Ukraine’s rights under Montreux. “Turkey would not recognise the annexation of that part of Ukraine,” says Alper Coskun, a Turkish former diplomat now with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a think-tank.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
US intelligence ‘helped Ukraine locate and sink’ Russian flagship in Black seaUS intelligence helped Ukraine locate and sink Russia’s flagship in the Black sea last month, according to reports.
Read more »
US ‘helped Ukraine locate and sink’ Russia’s Moskva in Black sea - liveRussia Ukraine Fresh effort begins to free civilians from Mariupol ‘hellscape’ - live 🔴
Read more »
Vaquita: World's most endangered sea mammal 'not doomed'Only 10 of the small silver porpoises are left on the planet, but genetic studies offer new hope.
Read more »
‘It’s just gorgeous’: rare deep-sea dragonfish spotted off California coastThe torpedo-shaped, bronze-hued fish has been seen only four times in nearly thirty years of deep-sea research, scientists said
Read more »
‘It’s just gorgeous’: rare deep-sea dragonfish spotted off California coastThe torpedo-shaped, bronze-hued fish has been seen only four times in nearly thirty years of deep-sea research, scientists said
Read more »