And Saturday, the mayor of the city of Mariupol, Vadim Boychenko, announced that “a search is now underway for solutions to humanitarian problems, and for all possible ways to get Mariupol out of the siege,” noting that “the priority is to reach a ceasefire, to restore infrastructure and establish a humanitarian corridor to bring food and medicine to the city.” City”.
This step highlights the importance of the Sea of Azov, which, by looking at its location on the map, can understand the reason behind Russia’s insistence on controlling the surrounding lands, as it is branched from the Black Sea in its northern part, and is connected to it through the Kerch Strait.
The Sea of Azov overlooks the Ukrainian shores to the north, Russia to the east, and the Crimea, which Moscow has controlled since 2014, to the west.
Thus, Mariupol is blocking the arms supplies it sends to Russia for its forces and loyalists in Ukraine, specifically those coming from the Crimea in the west, and from the forces in the pro-Russian separatist Donetsk region, to the east.
By controlling Mariupol and the surrounding area, Russian forces would control the Sea of Azov, which is linked to the Black Sea through the Kerch Strait, which Moscow already dominates as it is located in Crimea, turning Azov into an inland sea.
In the event that Russian control is completed on the banks of the Sea of Azov, Moscow will be able to introduce its weapons to its forces in Ukraine, and perhaps make its warships or nuclear submarines stationed there, to push the balance of power in its favour.
This sea also enjoys economic importance due to the presence of ships loaded with wheat inside this sea, which may cast a shadow on the global food supply, given that Russia and Ukraine are among the largest wheat exporters in the world.
According to a message published by the Russian naval authorities, last Monday, more than 40 ships were waiting to enter the Sea of Azov, and about 170 ships were stuck in all Russian ports at sea, some of them carrying grain shipments, which affected international wheat prices.
It is noteworthy that Russia announced, on Thursday, the suspension of navigation in the Sea of Azov, where the Russian forces launched a military operation.
“Navigation in the waters of the Azov Sea has been suspended since four in the morning (0100 GMT) until further notice,” Interfax news agency quoted the Russian Maritime Agency, “Rosmorichflute,” as saying.
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