A new Ukrainian study, jointly prepared by the Maidan of Foreign Affairs Monitoring Group, the Institute of Black Sea Studies and the BlackSeaNews website contradicts the official Russian line that it has ceased blockading the Kerch Strait and Azov Sea, which the Kremlin claims is now completely open to commercial maritime traffic.

Instead, researchers note that Russia stops interfering with freedom of navigation in the Azov Sea and through the Kerch Strait, a narrow waterway that connects it to the Black Sea, only at certain times – notably during periods of increased international attention or after critical speeches from key, Western leaders.