The Russian military has reported a major escalation in NATO drilling and reconnaissance activity in the Black Sea in recent weeks. Last month, the Royal Navy tried to test the security of Russia's maritime borders around Crimea by deploying a destroyer in Russian waters. The incident sparked a major diplomatic scandal between Moscow and London.
Outside powers are artificially inflating tensions in the Black Sea, and Moscow will be closely monitoring the implementation of the Montreux Convention regulating the transit of warships into and out of the body of water, the Russian Foreign Ministry has indicated.
“A special role in this regard belongs to Turkey, which is endowed with certain rights in relation to the control the transit of military ships through the Strait. We will continue to closely monitor the situation regarding how the provisions of the Convention are implemented in practice, including in terms of limits to total maximum tonnage during transit, as well as the maximum tonnage of warships of non-coastal powers in the Black Sea and the duration of their stay in the Black Sea area,” the spokesperson added.
This week marked the 85th anniversary of the adoption of the Montreux Convention. Signed in 1936, the document is aimed at ensuring the freedom of passage for commercial ships of all countries during both peacetime and wartime. It limits the passage of warships, however, with non-Black Sea powers…
