“Russia has not changed its aggressive course and continues to deliberately disrupt shipping in the Black Sea and attack Ukraine’s port infrastructure and commercial vessels,” Foreign Minister Tsahkna said. “The Kremlin’s aim is to cripple Ukraine’s exports, undermine its economy and cut the country off from the rest of the world. At the same time, Russia is bombing Ukrainian civilians and critical infrastructure with missiles and drones, seeking to leave millions of people without heating, electricity or essential supplies as winter approaches. Yesterday alone, nearly 600,000 Ukrainians were left without electricity as a result of Russian attacks.”
“Over the past week, five commercial vessels have been hit in attacks in the Black Sea, resulting in the deaths or injuries of Ukrainian citizens as well as citizens of India, Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Syria and Egypt.”
The Foreign Minister stressed that the impact of Russia’s actions extends beyond Ukraine and threatens global economic and food security, as Ukraine accounts for around 7–9% of global grain exports. “By disrupting shipping in the Black Sea, Russia is putting the food security of hundreds of millions of people at risk, particularly in African countries. Using food as a weapon, restricting freedom of navigation and attacking civilian infrastructure are grave violations of international law for which Russia must be held accountable,” Tsahkna said.
Tsahkna added that Estonia was in contact with fellow NATO Allies and EU member states Romania and Bulgaria. “Security in the Black Sea is an integral part of European security. Attacks in the immediate vicinity of the territorial waters of NATO Allies once again show that Russia’s war of aggression threatens not only Ukraine but also the security of Europe as a whole and of NATO. We must continue to put pressure on Russia through every available channel and increase our support for Ukraine, including by making use of frozen Russian assets,” Tsahkna stressed.
