DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ I took a 20-minute ferry ride from Europe to Asia for $1. I was shocked I didn't see more tourists on board.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-04 | by ( Jamie Davis Smith | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

I wanted to set foot on the European and Asian side of Istanbul during a recent visit with my kids. A $1 commuter ferry was the cheapest option for us to go from the European side to the Asian side. The ride was only 20 minutes each way, and I was surprised not to see more tourists on the ferry. Plus, although they technically go through Asia, none of the cruises I found let passengers disembark in Asia. Instead of sitting inside, we made our way to the second level of the ferry and took seats on the rooftop deck.

Persons: —, Jamie Davis Smith, I'm, We'd, we'd Organizations: Service, Cruises Locations: Istanbul, Asia, Europe, Eminonu, Istanbul's, Galata, Blue, Kadiköy, Istabul's

CNN —Ukraine says it hit two Russian naval vessels, along with a communications center and several other facilities belonging to the Black Sea Fleet, in a huge overnight attack on the Crimean port of Sevastopol. Ukraine said the vessels hit were two amphibious landing ships, the Yamal and the Azov. More than 20 Russian naval vessels have now been disabled or destroyed, a third of the entire fleet. Though Ukraine has virtually no navy of its own, technological innovation, audacity and Russian incompetence have given it the upper hand in much of the Black Sea. In October last year, satellite imagery indicated that Russia relocated some of its naval ships away from Sevastopol after a series of Ukrainian attacks.

Persons: Mikhail Razvozhayev, Mykola Oleshchuk, Razvozhayev Organizations: CNN, Black, Telegram Locations: Ukraine, Sevastopol, Russian, Azov, Crimea, Crimea’s, Simferopol, Moscow, Russia, Ukrainian, Odesa, Bosphorus

☆ Russia's Black Sea warships are 'hiding' says Ukraine navy, as sea drones spread fear
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-02 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Ukraine navy spokesperson said they were "fleeing to their hiding spots." AdvertisementRussian warships have been exercising cautious behavior and making unexpected U-turns, hiding from Ukraine's naval drones, said a Ukraine Navy spokesman. Recently, a group of Russian vessels approached the Bosporus Strait, only to abruptly reverse course instead of proceeding to Russian-held Crimea. Dmytro Pletenchuk, the Ukraine Navy spokesman, suggested that the ships may have been responding to perceived threats, signaling a fear of a Ukrainian attack, per Newsweek. AdvertisementRecent observations by OSINT analysts have highlighted similar maneuvers involving Russian vessels, including those subject to US sanctions.

Persons: —, Dmytro Pletenchuk, Pletenchuk, Yörük, Ukraine's, Ivan Lukashevych, Kunikov Organizations: Russia's, Service, Ukraine Navy, Newsweek, @USTreasury, SC South, Business, Pravda, Ukrainian Armed Forces Center, Strategic Communications, Ukraine's, UK's Ministry of Defence Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Crimea, Bosphorus, Sparta, Russia

☆ Ukraine is struggling hard on land, but thrashing Russia repeatedly at sea
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Tom Porter | Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

AdvertisementIf confirmed, it would mark strike twenty-five in a remarkable kill streak that Ukraine told CNN represents the disabling of a full third of Russia's Black Sea Fleet. AdvertisementUkraine's most astonishing triumph came early, in April 2022, when it sank Russia's Black Sea flagship, the Moskva. "Ukraine has been extremely successful against the Black Sea Fleet, forcing Russia to relocate assets further away from Ukraine and the frontline," Germond told BI. AdvertisementDown, but not outIs Ukraine's Black Sea success a solution to Ukraine's stalled ground offensive? This means that any ships sunk result in a longer-term decrease in the Black Sea Fleet.

Persons: —, Caesar, Ukraine Navy's, Murad Sezer, Sahaidachny, MAX DELANY, it's, Basil Germond, Germond, Michael Kofman, ” Sidharth, Kaushal, Russia can’t, ” Organizations: Service, Business, Russia's Ministry of Defence, Ukraine, CNN, Reuters, Getty, Military, Lancaster University, Shadow, Black, The Carnegie Endowment, Planet Labs PBC, Labs, UK’s Ministry of Defence, Royal United Services Institute, Montreux Convention, NATO, Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence Locations: Ukraine, Crimea, Bosphorus, Sevastopol, Moskva, Russian, Syria, Rostov, Minsk, Russia, France, Novorossiysk, Odesa, Ukrainian

☆ How Ukraine seized the upper hand against Russia in the battle for the Black Sea
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Tim Lister | Victoria Butenko | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Ukraine has virtually no navy of its own, but technological innovation, audacity and Russian incompetence have given it the upper hand in much of the Black Sea. Rather than fold, the Ukrainians declared a unilateral “Black Sea Humanitarian Corridor” for merchant shipping and stepped up its use of maritime drones and missile attacks against Russia’s Black Sea fleet. One-third of the Black Sea fleet has been disabled or destroyed, and the remaining ships rarely venture into the western half of the sea. In August, Russia withdrew some of the Black Sea fleet from its headquarters in Sevastopol to relatively safer ports on the Russian coast. Russia is unlikely to be able to tilt the balance in the Black Sea back in its favor.

Persons: Caesar Kunikov, Volodymyr Zelensky, ”, Yoruk Isik, Russia’s, Zelensky, Dmytro Pletenchuk, ” Pletenchuk, ’ Organizations: CNN, Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence, Reuters, Agriculture, UN, Initiative, NATO, Economy Ministry, Black Sea Initiative, Ukrainian, Russia, Maritime Autonomous Guard, Defense Intelligence, Drones, Both Defense Intelligence, Security Service, ’ AK, Black, Russian, Odesa, Montreux Convention – Locations: Crimea, Russia, Ukraine, Russian, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Romania, Bulgaria, Ukrainian, Sevastopol, Washington, Novorossiysk, Sochi, ”, MAGURA, Krasnodar, Kerch, France, Snake, Odesa, Turkey, Black, Montreux, Moscow

☆ Russia Says It Foiled Ukrainian Drone Attack on Civilian Cargo Ships in Black Sea
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-10 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russia said on Saturday it had repelled an attempted Ukrainian drone attack on Russian "civilian transport ships" on Friday evening in the southwestern part of the Black Sea, a key artery for grain and oil exports from both countries. It said Russian patrol boats and warplanes had averted the attack, destroying one Ukrainian naval drone by artillery fire and disabling the rest by electronic warfare. A day later, Ukraine said it would adopt the same stance on ships bound for Russian and Russian-controlled Ukrainian ports. The southwestern part of the Black Sea adjoins Turkey's Bosphorus Strait through which cargoes leaving the sea travel. Ukraine has in recent months mounted a series of drone and missile attacks on Russian military targets in the Black Sea, sinking at least one naval vessel and damaging others.

Persons: ReutersWriting, Felix LightEditing, Helen PopperEditing, Mark Heinrich, Giles Elgood, Helen Popper Organizations: Civilian, Russia's Defence Ministry Locations: MOSCOW, Russia, Ukrainian, Russian, Moscow, Ukraine, Turkish

☆ Ukraine says Russian missile hits civilian vessel in Black Sea, kills one
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Nov 8 (Reuters) - A Russian missile damaged a Liberia-flagged civilian vessel entering a Black Sea port in Odesa region, killing one and injuring four people, Ukrainian officials said on Wednesday. After pulling out of the U.N.-brokered deal that guaranteed safe shipments of Ukrainian grain via the Black Sea, Russia has been repeatedly attacking Ukrainian port infrastructure. It added that one person was killed, three crew members, citizens of the Philippines, and one port employee were injured. The vessel was supposed to transport iron ore to China, Ukraine Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said. Kubrakov added that Russia carried out 21 targeted attacks on port infrastructure after withdrawing from the deal.

Persons: Oleksandr Kubrakov, Kubrakov, Yoruk Isik, Yuliia Dysa, Jonathan Saul, Andrew Cawthorne, Alistair Bell, Ron Popeski Organizations: Facebook, Bosphorus Observer, Reuters, United, Kyiv, Thomson Locations: Russian, Liberia, Odesa, Russia, Philippines, China, Ukraine, Ukrainian, United Nations, Turkey

☆ Fact Check: Turkish ships from centenary parade shared as response to Israel-Hamas conflict
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A Turkish navy parade with 100 ships marked the country’s centenary as a republic on Oct. 29, but posts on social media are falsely saying these ships are nearing Israel and Gaza in response to the ongoing conflict. Other posts claim the Turkish navy is responding to the Israel-Hamas conflict or that 100 warships were sent to “help Palestine to attack Israel.”The presence of 100 Turkish ships was part of celebrations for the centenary of the country’s secular republic, however, not a response to the Israel-Hamas conflict in October. Turkish state broadcaster TRT also shared footage of the navy parade passing through the strait and covered the centenary celebration on Oct. 29. Reuters previously addressed miscaptioned footage of U.S. Navy aircraft carriers shared as Turkish warships moving toward Gaza. The presence of 100 ships refers to the Turkish navy’s parade on Oct. 29 celebrating the country’s 100 years as a republic.

Persons: Tayyip Erdogan, ”, Israel, Read Organizations: Turkish Navy, TRT, Getty Images, Reuters, U.S . Navy, Thomson Locations: Turkish, Israel, Gaza, Istanbul, Palestine, Istanbul’s Bosphorus

☆ Turkey is celebrating 100 years as a republic. But today’s nation is a long way from 1923’s secular state
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( Zara Khan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Today’s Turkey, however, is starkly different from the secular, Westernized state envisioned by Ataturk 100 years ago. The Turkish republic as imagined by Ataturk was firmly rooted in the West and a quick succession of reforms sought to modernize a population decimated by war. People often express such justification through religion, Murat Somer, a professor of political science at Ozyegin University in Istanbul, told CNN. What Ataturk may have been most proud of in today’s Turkey, however, is its growing influence on the world stage, analysts say. In 1926, after an assassination plot against him was discovered, Ataturk told his new nation: “One day my mortal body will turn to dust, but the Turkish republic will stand forever.”

Persons: Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Erdogan, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, Ataturk, Hagia Sofia, Ataturk’s, weren’t, Ozel, Murat Somer, ”, Somer, “, Ayse, Ismet Inonu, Power, Ataturk “, ” Somer, Adem Altan, “ I’m, ” Zarakol, ” Ozel Organizations: CNN, Turks, Ataturk, Hagia, Ottomans, Hulton, International Relations, Kadir Has University, Ozyegin University, Republican People’s Party, University of Cambridge, Anitkabir, Sunday, Getty, NATO, East, Central Asia Locations: Istanbul, Turkish, Ottoman, Today’s Turkey, Ottoman Empire, Europe, Russia, Anatolia, Ankara, The Turkish, West, fez, Hagia Sofia, Turkey, Hagia, Kasimpasa, “, Ataturk, Turkish Republic, AFP, today’s Turkey, Ukraine, Central

☆ Ukraine suspends Black Sea grain corridor over threat from mines, warplanes
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Pavel Polityuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Saint-Kitts-and-Nevis-flagged bulker TK Majestic, carrying grain under the UN's Black Sea Grain Initiative, waits in the southern anchorage of the Bosphorus in Istanbul, Turkey July 15, 2023. REUTERS/Mehmet Emin Caliskan/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsKYIV, Oct 26 (Reuters) - Ukraine has suspended the use of its new Black Sea grain export corridor due to a possible threat from Russian warplanes and sea mines, the Kyiv-based Barva Invest consultancy and a British security firm said on Thursday. Wheat futures had been pressured this week by hopes that Ukraine would expand grain exports, as well as rain relief in dry crop belts worldwide. Russian President Vladimir Putin said last week that he had ordered Russian warplanes with Kinzhal missiles to patrol the Black Sea. Ukraine shipped up to six million tons of grain a month from its Black Sea ports before Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Persons: Mehmet Emin Caliskan, Vladimir Putin, Ambrey, Taras Vysotskiy, Gus Trompiz, Jonathan Saul, Tom Balmforth, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Barva Invest, Barva, Ukrainian Seaport Authority, Russian Air Force, Thomson Locations: Kitts, Nevis, Bosphorus, Istanbul, Turkey, Ukraine, Kyiv, British, Moscow, Chicago, Russian, Snake Island, Russia, Black, Ukrainian, Paris, London

The other tier comprises mainstream vessels that use Western services for legal oil shipments, including from Russia under the terms of the price cap. In the short term, available ghost vessels could be in particular demand, making chartering them more expensive. Even so, some analysts say removing the price cap could be the way to really punish Russia. But he said that was very unlikely because the price cap at least allows Russian oil to flow, thereby moderating international prices. "The Biden administration is already reeling from higher oil prices compounded by the unrest in Gaza, potentially spreading to a wider Middle Eastern conflict.

Persons: Alexandre Meneghini, Ioannis Papadimitriou, Mike Salthouse, FGE, Vortexa’s Papadimitriou, Richard Bronze, Adi Imsirovic, Biden, Natalie Grover, Robert Harvey, Julia Payne, Andrea Shalal, Barbara Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Maersk, EU, White House, United Arab, Shell, BP, Exxon Mobil, Exxon, U.S, . Treasury, Treasury, Novy Port, Surrey Clean Energy, Thomson Locations: Liberia, Russia, Matanzas, Matanzas , Cuba, Ukraine, United States, Euronav, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, U.S, India, Novy, Gaza, London, Brussels, Washington

☆ An 87-year-old deal is keeping a lid on the naval war in Ukraine — for now
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( Constantine Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Fighting between Russia and Ukraine in the Black Sea has picked up in recent months. The fighting is taking a toll on Russia's Black Sea Fleet, which Moscow can't reinforce. Russia's Black Sea Fleet hasn't been defeated, but its losses, including the sinking of its flagship, the Moskva, weigh more heavily on Russia's war effort because of a deal signed nearly a century ago that is preventing Moscow from bringing more ships into the Black Sea. The convention distinguishes between Black Sea powers — those with a Black Sea coastline — and non-Black Sea powers. "Initially it was thought that it was a big deal that some of the Russian warships were prevented from entering the Black Sea.

Persons: —, Russia —, hasn't, Sergey Ponomarev, US Navy Arleigh Burke, OZAN KOSE, Ben Wallace, Stringer, Turkey's, Volodymyr Dubovyk, Dubovyk, Sabina Joja, Joja, Constantine Atlamazoglou Organizations: Montreux Convention, NATO, Service, Fleet, Sea Fleet, AP, US Navy, Getty, Russian, REUTERS, Mechnikov National University, Middle East Institute, Washington DC, Fletcher School of Law, LinkedIn, Twitter Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, Montreux, Crimea, Moskva, Sevastopol, Rostov, AFP, Turkey, Baltic, Northern, Odessa's, Ukrainian, Turkish, Romanian, Iulia, Washington, Izmail, Ankara, NATO

☆ Russia lifts ban on most diesel exports
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( Vladimir Soldatkin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Murad Sezer/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsSummary Russia lifts ban on diesel exports via portsDiesel accounts for the biggest share of Russia's fuel exportsRussia hikes fuel exports duties for resellersDamper payments are reinstalledMOSCOW, Oct 6 (Reuters) - Russia's government said on Friday it had lifted a ban on pipeline diesel exports via ports, removing the bulk of restrictions installed on Sept. 21. The restrictions for gasoline exports are still in place. "The government lifted restrictions on exports of diesel fuel delivered to seaports by pipeline, provided that the manufacturer supplies at least 50% of the produced diesel fuel to the domestic market," the government said in a statement. Russia has been tackling shortages and high fuel prices in recent months, which especially hurt farmers during the harvesting season. Since the ban was introduced, wholesale diesel prices on the local exchange have fallen by 21%, while gasoline prices are down 10%.

Persons: Don, Murad Sezer, Alexander Novak, Vladimir Putin's, Vladimir Soldatkin, Guy Faulconbridge, Jan Harvey Organizations: Turkish Navy Coast Guard, REUTERS, Diesel, European Union, Federal, Monopoly Service, Thomson Locations: Rostov, Istanbul, Turkey, Russia, MOSCOW, U.S, Ukraine, Europe, Brazil, North, West, Gulf, East

☆ Turkish cargo ship hits mine in Black Sea, sustains minor damage
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Oct 5 (Reuters) - A Turkish-flagged general cargo ship hit a mine on Thursday in the Black Sea off the coast of Romania and sustained minor damage but the crew was safe, maritime and security sources said. The vessel dropped anchor for a short period to assess the damage," Ambrey said in a note. The Black Sea area has been listed as a high risk zone by insurers and floating mines remain a peril. Since then, Ukraine has set up a temporary "humanitarian corridor" for cargo vessels, and several ships have left Ukrainian Black Sea ports since August. Russia may use sea mines to target civilian shipping in the Black Sea, including by laying them on the approach to Ukrainian ports, the British government said on Wednesday citing intelligence.

Persons: Ambrey, Yoruk Isik, Kafkametler, Jonathan Saul, Pavel Poltityuk, Sandra Maler Organizations: Bosphorus Observer, Reuters, Kafkametler, Thomson Locations: Romania, British, Sulina, Istanbul, Vylkove, Russia, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Russian, London, Kyiv

☆ Five new cargo vessels heading for Ukrainian Black Sea ports: MarineTraffic
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-01 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A cargo ship carrying Ukrainian grain, and another originating from Ukraine, sail at the entrance of Bosphorus, in the Black Sea off the coast off Kumkoy, north of Istanbul, on November 2, 2022. Five new ships are on their way to Ukrainian sea ports using a new corridor opened to resume predominantly agricultural exports, an alternative arrangement to the Black Sea grain deal blocked by Russia, the MarineTraffic database showed on Sunday. The MarineTraffic database showed earlier on Sunday that three cargo vessels left Ukrainian Black Sea ports after loading, the latest to sail since Kyiv set up a temporary "humanitarian corridor" after Russia quit a deal allowing safe passage for Ukraine exports. The database identified the five vessels heading toward the ports as Olga, Ida, Forza Doria, New Legacy and Danny Boy. Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said last month that three cargo ships were heading towards Ukrainian Black Sea ports for further food and steel exports.

Persons: Olga, Ida, Forza, Danny Boy, Oleksandr Kubrakov, Ying Hao, Moscow Organizations: Russia, United Locations: Ukraine, Bosphorus, Kumkoy, Istanbul, Russia, Ukrainian, Forza Doria, China, Egypt, Spain, Moscow, Kyiv, United Nations, Turkey

Commander of the Russian Black Sea Fleet Vice-Admiral Viktor Sokolov during a send-off ceremony in Sevastopol, Crimea on September 27, 2022. Ukraine has increasingly been hitting strategic Russian targets in Crimea, the Black Sea region of southern Ukraine that has been occupied by Moscow since 2014. Russian forces employed Iranian-made drones, hypersonic missiles, cruise missiles and a submarine in the assault, Ukraine’s defense forces said. A damaged building is seen following a Russian military attack in Odesa, Ukraine, in this image released on September 25. Over the past day, Russian forces launched 87 attacks on the Kherson region, Prokudin said, hitting residential areas, medical buildings, educational institutions, and critical infrastructure.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, ”, Dmytro Pletenchuk, Pletenchuk, Vladimir Putin “, Pletenchuk’s, Viktor Sokolov, Alexey Pavlishak, Andrii Yusov, Matthew A, Foster, US Army National Guard Abrams, Sergei Lavrov, Zelensky, “, Abrams, Charlie Dietz, Oleh Kiper, Kiper, Dmitry Peskov, Oleksandr Prokudin, Prokudin Organizations: CNN, Abrams, Ukrainian Navy, Russian Navy, Ukrainian Special Operations Forces, Navy, Special Operations Forces, Sea Fleet, Reuters CNN, Ukrainian Defense Intelligence, US Army National Guard, US Abrams, Pentagon, General’s, Reuters, Russian Ministry of Defense Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, Russia, Russian, Sevastopol, Ukrainian, Crimea, Moscow, Ukrainian Crimea, Piskie, Poland, United States, Germany, Odesa, Izmail district, Iranian, Kherson –, Beryslav, Kherson

☆ Cargo vessel leaves Ukraine's Chornomorsk after loading grain - Deputy PM
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Pavel Polityuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Palau-flagged general cargo vessel Resilient Africa loaded with grain, leaves the sea port of Chornomorsk, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near Odesa, Ukraine September 19, 2023. REUTERS/Stringer Acquire Licensing RightsKYIV, Sept 19 (Reuters) - A cargo vessel carrying grain has left the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Chornomorsk for the first time since a grain deal collapsed, a top government official said on Tuesday, in a test of Ukraine's ability to unblock its seaports for grain export. "The vessel RESILIENT AFRICA, carrying 3,000 tons of wheat, has left the port of Chornomorsk and is heading towards the Bosphorus," Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said on Facebook. Kubrakov said the second ship, Aroyat, is still moored in Chornomorsk and is being loaded with wheat for Egypt. The Black Sea grain deal was brokered by the U.N. and Turkey in July 2022 to combat a global food crisis worsened by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Persons: Stringer, Oleksandr Kubrakov, Kubrakov, Aroyat, Pavel Polityuk, Anna Pruchnicka, Christopher Cushing, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Facebook, Chornomorsk, Ukrainian Navy, Thomson Locations: Palau, Africa, Chornomorsk, Ukraine, Odesa, Ukrainian, AFRICA, Russia, Asia, Egypt, Moscow, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey

☆ Ukraine stopped Russian cruise missiles from taking out a cargo ship in the Black Sea as Putin tries to 'weaponize food,' UK says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Russian forces fired two Kalibr cruise missiles at a cargo ship in the Black Sea last month. Turkish-flagged bulker TQ Samsun, carrying grain under UN's Black Sea Grain Initiative, transits Bosphorus in Istanbul, Turkey July 18, 2023. AdvertisementAdvertisementUkraine has tried to remedy the threat by establishing a protected shipping corridor to allow for safe transit through dangerous Black Sea waters. But news of the attempt to deliberately attack the Liberian-flagged cargo ship represents a deadly escalation. Emergency service personnel work at the site of a destroyed building after a Russian attack in Odesa, Ukraine, Thursday, July 20, 2023.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Yoruk Isik, Vladimir Putin, James, Putin's Organizations: Service, Sea Fleet, Liberian, REUTERS, Russia, AP, Royal Air Force Locations: Moscow, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Russian, Russia, Ukrainian, Odesa, Samsun, Istanbul, Turkey, Palau

☆ With grain deal in focus, Putin to meet Erdogan in Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"The current status (of the grain deal) will be discussed at the summit on Monday. Putin has said Russia could return to the grain deal if the West fulfils a separate memorandum agreed with the United Nations at the same time to facilitate Russian food and fertiliser exports. Ahead of the Erdogan talks, Ukrainian officials said Russia launched an overnight air attack on one of Ukraine's major grain exporting ports. In its report on the Erdogan meeting, Russian state television said promises made to Russia must be implemented. For Russia, Erdogan is a key broker - and one respected personally by Putin.

Persons: Mehmet Bey, Mehmet Emin Calsikan, Erdogan, Putin, Tayyip Erdogan, Vladimir Putin, Russia, Dmitry Peskov, Akif Cagatay Kilic, Kilic, Russia's, António Guterres, Sergei Lavrov, Maria Zakharova, Guy Faulconbridge, Lidia Kelly, Michelle Nichols, Robert Birsel, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: REUTERS, UN, Kremlin, United, Haber, United Nations, Russian, Russian Agricultural Bank, SWIFT, Toksabay, Thomson Locations: Yenikapi, Istanbul, Turkey, Sochi Turkey, Russia, Ukraine, Ukraine MOSCOW, Russia's Black, Sochi, United Nations, Moscow, Izmail, Ukraine's Odesa, EU, Russian, Melbourne, Ankara

CNN —Russian forces attacked Ukrainian port facilities on the Danube River used for food exports on Sunday, a day before Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to discuss reviving a grain export deal with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Ukraine’s Air Force said 25 drones were used in overnight attacks on the Odesa region, 22 of which were shot down. Russia’s Ministry of Defense said in a statement that it was targeting fuel storage facilities in the Ukrainian port of Reni used to supply Ukraine’s military. An aide to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused the Kremlin of trying to create a “food crisis” with the attacks. He will likely to discuss reviving the deal while meeting with Putin in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi on Monday.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Reni, “, ”, Volodymyr Zelensky, Andriy Yermak, Erdogan, Putin, Sergey Lavrov Organizations: CNN, Ukraine’s Air Force, Russia’s Ministry of Defense, NATO, Romania’s Ministry of Defense, Russian, UN Locations: Ukrainian, Port, Romania, Romania’s, Moscow, Russia, Russian, Black, Sochi, Ukraine, Kyiv

☆ UN chief sends Russia bid to revive Black Sea grain deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Turkish-flagged bulker TQ Samsun, carrying grain under UN's Black Sea Grain Initiative, is pictured in the Black Sea, north of Bosphorus Strait, off Istanbul, Turkey July 17, 2023. Two Turkish sources told Reuters the pair will meet on Monday and primarily discuss Black Sea grain exports. The Black Sea grain deal was intended to combat a global food crisis that the United Nations said had been worsened by Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. "We cannot have a Black Sea initiative that moves from crisis to crisis, from suspension to suspension. Russia has said that if demands to improve its own exports of grain and fertilizer were met, it would consider resurrecting the Black Sea agreement.

Persons: Yoruk, António Guterres, Sergei Lavrov, Vladimir Putin, Tayyip Erdogan, Russia's, Guterres, Lavrov, Hakan Fidan, Michelle Nichols, Kanishka Singh, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: REUTERS, UNITED NATIONS, United Nations, Russian, United, Reuters, Turkish, Russian Agricultural Bank, SWIFT, Thomson Locations: Samsun, Bosphorus, Istanbul, Turkey, Russia, United Nations, Ukraine, Russian, Moscow, EU

☆ First ship to use Ukraine's corridor enters Bosphorus
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Reuters Editorial | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

PoliticsFirst ship to use Ukraine's corridor enters BosphorusPostedThe first vessel that used Ukraine's Black Sea corridor is crossing through Turkey's Bosphorus Strait, Reuters footage showed on Friday (August 18). The Hong-Kong-flagged Joseph Schulte container ship that left the Russian-blocked Ukrainian Black Sea port of Odesa earlier this week had been in the port since Feb. 23, 2022, the day before the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Persons: Joseph Schulte Locations: Turkey's Bosphorus, Hong, Kong, Ukraine

☆ First ship to use Ukraine's corridor arrives in Istanbul - Reuters witness
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ISTANBUL, Aug 18 (Reuters) - The first vessel that used Ukraine's Black Sea corridor is crossing through Turkey's Bosphorus Strait, a Reuters witness said on Friday. The Hong-Kong-flagged Joseph Schulte container ship that left the Russian-blocked Ukrainian Black Sea port of Odesa earlier this week had been in the port since Feb. 23, 2022, the day before the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Moscow has not indicated whether it would respect the shipping corridor, and shipping and insurance sources have expressed concerns about safety. Ukraine said the corridor will be primarily used to evacuate ships that were stuck in Ukrainian ports. Local broadcasters have said the ship will anchor at Ambarli port in the south of Istanbul.

Persons: Joseph Schulte, Murad Sezer, Kim Coghill, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Local, Thomson Locations: ISTANBUL, Turkey's Bosphorus, Hong, Kong, Ukraine, Moscow, Istanbul

Analysts said it tests President Tayyip Erdogan's resolve to maintain good relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom he has invited to Turkey this month to discuss resuming the UN-brokered deal that had protected grain exports from Ukraine. "Ankara's silence is strange but shows it is still counting on Putin to visit and return to the grain deal." It wants the West to accept some Russian demands, and for Russia to drop others, to restart Ukraine grain exports under UN and Turkish oversight. A Turkish defence ministry official, requesting anonymity, said Ankara was looking into the Black Sea raid but gave no more details. "Therefore Erdogan should negotiate and try to convince Western countries, not Putin, for the reinstatement of the grain deal," he said.

Persons: Mehmet Bey, Umit, Erdogan, Putin, NATO's, Tayyip Erdogan's, Vladimir Putin, Yoruk Isik, Grynspan, Sezer, Huseyin Hayatsever, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Coordination Centre, REUTERS, Ankara, Analysts, UN, Bosphorus Observer, United Nations Conference, Trade, Development, Thomson Locations: Yenikapi, Istanbul, Turkey, ISTANBUL, Ukraine, NATO, Moscow, Russia, Ankara, Odesa, Turkish, Palau, Russian

☆ Ukraine condemns 'provocative' Russian actions in Black Sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Palau-flagged vessel Sukru Okan transits Bosphorus on its way to the Black Sea in Istanbul, Turkey August 13, 2023 this screen grab from a video. REUTERS/Yoruk Isik/File PhotoKYIV, Aug 14 (Reuters) - Ukraine on Monday condemned what it called "provocative" Russian actions and called for decisive countermeasures by the international community, a day after Moscow said one of its warships had fired warning shots at a cargo vessel in the Black Sea. Moscow said in a statement on Sunday that its Vasily Bykov patrol ship fired automatic weapons on the Palau-flagged Sukru Okan vessel after the ship's captain failed to respond to a request to halt for an inspection. "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine strongly condemns the provocative actions carried out by the Russian Federation on August 13 in the Black Sea in relation to the Turkish dry cargo vessel 'Sukru Okan,' which was en route to the port of Izmail," the ministry said in a statement. Kyiv said the incident was a gross violation of international law and "exemplified Russia's deliberate policy of endangering the freedom of navigation and safety of commercial shipping in the Black Sea".

Persons: Yoruk, Vasily Bykov, Türkiye, Dan Peleschuk, Philippa Fletcher, Angus MacSwan Organizations: REUTERS, of Foreign Affairs, Russian Federation, Thomson Locations: Palau, Istanbul, Turkey, Ukraine, Moscow, Russia, Izmail

Search resuls for: "Bosphorus"

25 mentions found