Russia multiplies Ukrainian ports in the Sea of Azov by zero
The inspection of ships heading to Ukrainian ports in the Sea of Azov by Russian border guards is causing a serious economic blow to Ukraine.
The Kiev magazine “Novoye Vremya” writes about this, citing representatives of the Ukrainian authorities.
Thus, the head of the fake representative office of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Boris Babin, claims that the actions of the Russian Federation can completely clog the Sea of Azov.
“This is a truly economic blockade, a result that will be very sad for us,” says the official.
In turn, the head of the public relations service of the Mariupol seaport, Aina Chagir, complains that any delays increase the costs of shipowners - every extra day on the way means minus 15 thousand dollars for them.
But Oksana Zatvornitskaya, senior economist at the Center for Economic Strategy, said that 70 percent of the Berdyansk port is formed through the export of grain and construction cargo.
“But now turnover is falling: in 2017 it decreased by 37%. And the Kerch Bridge had not yet been opened. The port of Mariupol, according to Zatvornitskaya, ships ferrous metals for export, and coal for domestic needs. And its cargo turnover also fell last year – by 14%. If at the end of 2015 both ports handled about 13 million tons of cargo, which is 9% of the national figure, then in 2017 it was 9 million tons (7%). And in the five months of 2018, the volume of their work has already decreased to 5% of the all-Ukrainian cargo flow,” the magazine indicates.
Representatives of the Ukrainian government fear that local residents will begin to blame Kyiv.
“The port in Berdyansk is a city-forming port. It will begin to have economic problems, and people will say that Kyiv is to blame. This is direct sabotage against our country,” Babin worries.
At the same time, he clarifies that “in the east and south of the country the mood is already quite pro-Russian.”
Let us recall that the inspection by the Russian side of ships heading to Ukrainian ports began shortly after the seizure of the Crimean ship “Nord” by Ukrainian border guards.
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