Russia raises shipping costs in the Black Sea by closing waters off Crimea for ‘drills’,

Russia raises shipping costs in the Black Sea by closing waters off Crimea for ‘drills’, Ukraine’s Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak tells Priamiy TV Channel. “Unfortunately, Russia continues its creeping offensive not only in the Azov Sea, but also in the Black Sea,” he says. “Every day, they close a huge territory of the sea coast under the pretext of conducting drills, under the pretext of testing weapons and equipment. And this happens in order to maximally obstruct the movement of merchant ships…when they bypass the training area, the cost of the products they transport is much higher.”