76 foreign ships still not allowed to leave Ukrainian ports: Russian military

The Ukrainian authorities keep preventing 76 ships from 18 countries from leaving Ukrainian ports, Russian National Defense Control Center head Col. Gen. Mikhail Mizintsev said on Friday.

“A total of 76 foreign vessels from 18 countries remain blocked at Ukrainian ports. The threat of an attack and the high danger of mines, created by the Kiev government in its internal waters and the territorial sea, prevent the vessels from taking to the open sea,” said Mizintsev, who also heads the Russian Joint Coordination Headquarters for Humanitarian Response in Ukraine.

He stressed that the Kiev government continues to dodge discussions on safe exit of those ships with foreign states and ship owners. The Ukrainian delegation refuses to discuss the issue within the framework of the International Maritime Organization, the Russian official added.

Mizintsev assured that Russia is taking an extensive array of measures to ensure safety of civilian navigation in the Black Sea, the Sea of Azov and the Mediterranean Sea.

He also warned the international community about the danger of Ukrainian mines, which can be swept away by currents to shores of other Black Sea states.

TASS