Ukraine Defies Russia by Trying to Revive Black Sea Trade
- Vessels have called at three of Ukraine’s key Black Sea ports
- Russia had threatened to target ships headed to Ukraine
The cargo ship is loaded with grain at the port of Chornomorsk on the Black Sea coast.
Photographer: Oleksandr Gimanov/AFP/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
Ten ships have completed journeys to major Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea without incident in the past few weeks, defying Russia’s threats to target vessels in the area.
The ships’ passage signals that Ukraine’s daring bet to set up its own trade route after the collapse of a safe-corridor agreed with Russia has paid off. So far the success is mostly symbolic, with ship traffic still requiring cautious maneuvers close to the coast of Bulgaria and Romania as vessels head to Ukraine.