Questions from Ukraine value of the Black Sea truce with Russia

The Ukrainian navy patrol boat has crossed the Black Sea, its 25 -millimeter double gun machine gun locked on the horizon. The enemy, Russia, was nowhere in sight, but still present. In the command room, Captain Mykhailo and his crew scanned screens showing color coded areas marking the Russian waters loaded with mines and the red arrows that follow drones roaming the region.

The crew’s mission was to defend waters off Odesa, the largest port city in the Black Sea in Ukraine, and to protect them for commercial traffic. It was an exhausting work – cleaning the Russian day mines, slaughtering the drones at night – but after more than a year of patrols alongside other ships of the Ukrainian navy, they succeeded.

The Russian navy was pushed far from the Ukrainian coast, allowing Ukraine’s commercial expeditions to bounce back at nearby levels. Tuesday, the fruits of Captain Mykhailo’s efforts materialized on the horizon: the silhouette of a 740 -foot ship with Panama flag sliding towards a Ukrainian port to be loaded with cereals.

“Big Ship. Nice,” said Captain Mykhailo, speaking provided that only his first name and rank are used, in accordance with Ukrainian military rules.

kyiv and Moscow engaged in a ceasefire on the Black Sea last month during distinct discussions mediated by the United States, but the military and commercial achievements of Ukraine in these waters have led many people to Odesa to think about this question: does Ukraine have something to gain from such a break?