MOSCOW. July 20 (Interfax) - The declaration of certain parts of the Black Sea as unsafe for navigation by the Russian Defense Ministry was prompted by the termination of the Black Sea grain deal and is unrelated to the Crimean Bridge blast, Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said.
"This statement is related to the termination of the deal," Peskov told journalists in reply to a relevant question on Thursday.
Earlier, the Russian Defense Ministry said that "all vessels heading to Ukrainian ports in Black Sea waters will be regarded as potentially carrying military cargoes from 0:01 a.m. Moscow time on July 20, 2023 due to the termination of the Black Sea Initiative and elimination of the maritime humanitarian corridor."
"Consequently, the countries whose flags such vessels are carrying will be regarded as ones involved in the Ukrainian conflict on the side of Kiev regime," it said.
"A number of areas in northwestern and southeastern parts of Black Sea international waters were declared temporarily dangerous for navigation. Information alerts regarding the recall of security guarantees for navigation have been issued in the established procedure," it said.