Plot Aggravation of the situation in Donbas
Turkey can close the Bosphorus and Dardanelles Straits for the passage of warships. However, even in this situation, the Russian Federation will have the right to use them to return the fleet to the base, reportedTurkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. АиФ.ги I was looking for ships that were outside the straits. These could include ships participating in exercises in the Mediterranean Sea on February 15-21.
What happened?
Ukrainian Ambassador to Turkey Vasyl Bondar He demanded that Ankara close the straits for the passage of Russian warships.
Turkey has received an official request from Ukraine, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu confirmed. The provisions of the Montreux Convention are clear and precise. During a war in which Turkey does not participate, it is permissible to take measures against the countries participating in the war, the minister noted.
Thus, Turkey can close the Bosphorus and Dardanelles Straits for the passage of warships, but even in this situation, the Russian Federation will have the right to use them to return the fleet to base.
The Montreux Convention
The 1936 Montreux Convention on the Status of the Straits consolidated Turkey’s sovereignty over the Bosphorus and Dardanelles Straits.
Subject to prior notification of the Turkish authorities, the Black Sea Powers may conduct their warships of any class through the Straits in peacetime. For warships of non-Black Sea powers, significant restrictions on class and tonnage have been introduced.
Depending on whether Turkey is a party to the conflict, it has additional powers to regulate the passage through the straits. In some circumstances, Ankara may prohibit any country from using the straits if it considers that this will violate security in the region or create threats to itself. However, the Turkish side has repeatedly stated that it intends to fully comply with the terms of the convention and opposes its revision.
However, the Montreux Convention also provides that the ships of the countries participating in the war can return to their bases and this should be allowed to them. The Montreux Convention also provides that the same measures should be taken with respect to Ukrainian warships, the Turkish Foreign Minister said.
Foreign trip
In the period from February 15 to February 25, 2022, naval exercises were held in the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea under the leadership of Admiral Nikolai Evmenov, Commander-in-Chief of the Navy. The event involved more than 15 warships, boats and support vessels, as well as over 30 aircraft.
The list of ships included the missile cruisers Admiral Grigorovich (part of the Black Sea Fleet), as well as ships of other fleets Varyag (flagship of the Pacific Fleet) and Marshal Ustinov (Northern Fleet), frigates Admiral Kasatonov (Northern Fleet), as well as large anti-submarine ships Admiral Tributs ; (Pacific Fleet) and «Vice Admiral Kulakov» (Northern Fleet) and others.
The fact that “Admiral Grigorovich” returned to the home port (Sevastopol) was not reported.
In February, the Ministry of Defense also did not report the location of other ships of the Black Sea Fleet, but at the beginning of 2022, in the Mediterranean Sea, in addition to the frigate “Admiral Grigorovich”, the small missile ship “Vyshny Volochek”, the patrol ship “Dmitry Rogachev”, submarines, the naval minesweeper “Vladimir Zakharin”, were in the composition of the Naval forces of the Navy, in addition to the frigate “Admiral Grigorovich”, the small missile ship “Vyshny Volochek”, the patrol ship “Dmitry Rogachev”, submarines, the sea minesweeper “Vladimir Zakharin”. They performed special tasks as part of the permanent grouping of the Navy (Navy) in the far sea zone. Thus, more than 10 ships and support vessels of the Black Sea Fleet (Black Sea Fleet) may not be in the Black Sea at the moment.