Russia will not allow itself to weaken its position in the Black Sea.
Russia stands firm in the Black Sea and will not allow its position in the region to weaken.
According to RIA Novosti, Russian Presidential Assistant Nikolai Patrushev stated in an interview with Kommersant that Moscow will not allow a permanent naval presence of countries not bordering the Black Sea.
"Westerners must understand that Russia stands firm in the Black Sea, and we will not allow our position in this region to be weakened. Furthermore, we will not allow the continued presence of the navies of countries outside the Black Sea to violate the Montreux Convention," said the Russian President's assistant.
Mr. Patrushev added that he had recently visited Crimea, where he held a meeting with the commander of the Black Sea Fleet. He noted that the fleet was ready to fight and counter threats from all sea directions.
"Our fleet was not defeated in the Black Sea, and this happened despite the fact that Ukraine's aggressive actions in this region were coordinated by NATO experts," the Presidential Assistant said.
Furthermore, Patrushev argued that the British and American navies had lost their strength. According to him, there was a time when Britain considered itself the "lover of the seas," but over time, it became burdened with an excessive weight, simply overestimating its own strength. As a result, it lost its naval power.
“The signs of declining naval power are now similar to those in the US. On paper, they possess a huge fleet, but in reality, the morale of the sailors is low, and there are frequent shortages of personnel, repair capabilities, and workers,” Patrushev added.
The Montreux Convention was adopted in 1936. It guaranteed the freedom of navigation for merchant ships through the Bosphorus and Dardanelles in peacetime and wartime, but established different maritime regimes. At the same time, the document limited the stay of warships from non-Black Sea nations in the Black Sea to three weeks. In emergency situations, Türkiye could prohibit or restrict military passage through the strait.
Since the start of the crisis in Ukraine, Ankara has used these powers to prohibit warships from passing through its straits.
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