Joint operations with NATO have moved into the practical plane.
The story of the grain corridor is strikingly similar to Pushkin’s fairy tale about the goldfish, where the “owner of the sea” ended up with the “old woman at the broken trough.”
Declaration of the Black Sea as a zone of Russian special interests. Basically, a complete disregard for maritime law. Threats to sink any ships going to Ukrainian ports. Direct pressure in the ether. All this lasted for two weeks and ended with a big blow.
Three ships openly went to the Danube port of Ukraine, accompanied by NATO aircraft, and what is interesting, what the Russians reported, and not all experts paid attention to it, the attack of naval drones on two Russian boats, which were supposed to block the passage of civilian ships to Ukrainian ports, drove Russian fleet in ports.
And one more piece of information, that the Russians allegedly did not want to inspect the ships, causes a smile. Not “didn’t want to”, but couldn’t, and, actually, no one was going to do it.
A good answer to skeptics who did not believe the statement of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine about the sufficiency of means to ensure the safety of shipping in the Black Sea.
And most importantly, joint operations with NATO have moved to the practical level, as they should be, every day, business-like, professional, and effective. With which we are all congratulated.
And Putin received another kick, especially unpleasant and painful, after a pathetic speech at the African-Russian forum, the declared “mistress of the sea” turned out to be “an old woman without a trough.”
And finally, personal. For the expert, the most pleasant thing is that the forecast came true.
I am glad that I was not mistaken when I predicted three places ago: NATO protection will secure the grain corridor.
Mykhailo Nepran
First Vice-President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Ukraine
