'Unprovoked escalation': US denounces Russia's plan to block Ukraine's access to Black Sea

The US Department of State, on April 20, branded Russian plans to bloc parts of the Black Sea as an “unprovoked escalation” in the contested region. Amidst the surging possibilities of a Russo-Ukrainian war in the Donbas region, reports of Moscow closing parts of the Black sea to foreign military and ships for six months surfaced. If that happens, Russia could successfully affect Ukrainian ports located in the Sea of Azov, which are all connected to the Black Sea only through the narrow Kerch Strait.

"This represents yet another unprovoked escalation in Moscow's ongoing campaign to undermine and destabilise Ukraine," State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement. "This development is particularly troubling amid credible reports of the Russian troop buildup in occupied Crimea and around Ukraine's borders, now at levels not seen since Russia’s invasion in 2014," he added.

Bigger than Crimean annexation

In a build-up which is larger than 2014, when Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula, more than 100,000 troops have massed on the eastern Ukrainian border. On Monday, European Union’s Top Diplomat Josep Borrell stated the number as 150,000 before revealing the source. Elaborating on the same, Pentagon Spokesperson John Kirby said that the military build-up was “very seriously concerning.”

Just two days ago, British Media confirmed that fleets of British warships will sail for the Black Sea in May. While Kyiv has still not been granted NATO membership, the deployment is aimed at showing UK’s solidarity to the eastern European country as well as other NATO allies. Earlier in April, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelelnsky dialled Johnson twice urging them to facilitate his state's accession to NATO while also increasing its presence in the conflict-hit region. 

Kyiv has accused Moscow of massing thousands of military personnel on its northern and eastern borders along with the Crimean peninsula annexed by Moscow back in 2014. The reports of buildup have emerged amid an escalation of armed clashes between Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed separatists in the east of the nation. The conflict has claimed over 13,000 lives since 2014, as per the United Nations (UN) tally. Since July 2020, an uneasy cease-fire has been in effect. While the longstanding conflict is still unresolved, the latest escalation was triggered after four Ukrainian soldiers died on March 26 and Kyiv blamed the incident on Moscow. 

(Image: Associated Press)