A safe way for ships has been established through the Sea of Azov, according to the Russian military. The route was opened after Moscow reported sweeping sea mines from the area and making the port of Mariupol safe for operation.
The passage from the Azov Sea to the Black Sea is 115 miles long and two miles wide, according to the military’s statements. First opened on Wednesday, it is available for traffic every day between 8:00 am and 7:00 pm local time, according to the Russian defense ministry.
A separate 80-mile-long three-mile-wide naval corridor in the Black Sea has been maintained by the Russian Navy for some time and remains open for traffic.
Moscow blames Ukraine for making the two seas it shares with Russia unsafe for civilian ships. Kiev ordered the deployment of sea mines near its shores to ward off possible amphibious assaults by Russia.