News Highlight
Russia on Saturday suspended participation in a U.N.-brokered Black Sea grain deal after what it said was a prominent Ukrainian drone attack on its fleet in Crimea.
Key Takeaway
- Russia’s defence ministry said Ukraine attacked the Black Sea Fleet near Sevastopol on the annexed Crimean peninsular with 16 drones.
- As a result, the Russian side suspends participation in implementing agreements on exporting agricultural products from Ukrainian ports.
Black Sea Grain Initiative
- Since Russia and Ukraine signed the U.N.-backed Black Sea Grain Initiative in Turkey on July 22, more than 9 million tonnes of corn, wheat, sunflower products, barley, rapeseed and soya have been exported from Ukraine.
Black Sea
- About
- The Black Sea, also known as the Euxine Sea, is a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean.
- It is located between Eastern Europe and Western Asia.
- Border countries
- Romania
- Bulgaria
- Ukraine
- Russia
- Georgia
- Turkey
- Mountains
- It is surrounded by the Pontic, Caucasus, and Crimean Mountains in the south, east and north, respectively.
- Connecting water bodies
- The Black Sea ultimately drains into the Mediterranean Sea via the Turkish Straits and the Aegean Sea.
- The Bosporus Strait connects it to the small Sea of Marmara, which is connected to the Aegean Sea via the Strait of the Dardanelles.
- To the north, the Black Sea is connected to the Sea of Azov by the Kerch Strait.
Significance of Black Sea
- Geo-economic reasons
- Russia’s key gateway to the global waters is through the Black Sea, which opens into the Mediterranean Sea through the Bosphorus and Dardanelles Straits.
- Economic significance
- The Sea also plays a crucial role in Russia’s economy as it provides the much-needed connectivity for Russia to export its hydrocarbons and grains to Turkey and other Asian countries.
- Strategic Importance
- Domination of the Black Sea region is a geostrategic imperative for Russia, both to project Russian power in the Mediterranean and to secure the economic gateway to key markets in southern Europe.
- Strategic Buffer Between NATO and Russia
- For Russia, the Black Sea is both a stepping stone to the Mediterranean as well as a strategic buffer between NATO and itself.
- Important Trade and Transportation Artery
- The Black Sea is an important trade and transportation artery for Russia.
- Both Russia and Central Asian countries are highly dependent on the Russian port of Novorossiysk to export grain and oil by ship; this provides Moscow with useful leverage over land-locked Central Asia.
Content Source: The Hindu