Turkey blocks passage of ex-British minehunters bound for Ukraine

The Turkish government has prohibited the intended passage of two ex-UK Royal Navy mine countermeasures vessels to Ukraine via the Turkish straits of the Black Sea.

According to a statement issued by the country’s Directorate of Communications on Tuesday, January 2, the government has closed the straits to Russian and Ukrainian warships in accordance with Article 19 of the Montreux Convention Regarding the Regime of the Straits.

The Montreux Convention was originally signed in 1936 by Turkey, the Soviet Union, and eight other countries to regulate maritime traffic in the Black Sea. The articles of the treaty permit Turkey to close off the Dardanelles and Bosphorus straits to prohibit the movements of foreign naval vessels during wartime or if there is an imminent threat to the country.

In the same statement, the government said it has been implementing the convention “impartially and diligently since 1936” to maintain its stance throughout the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine to prevent the escalation of tension in the Black Sea.

The government added that Turkey’s pertinent allies have been duly apprised that the minehunting vessels donated to Ukraine by the UK will not be allowed to pass through the Turkish straits to the Black Sea for as long as the war between Russia and Ukraine continues.

The vessels that have been denied passage are the decommissioned Sandown-class minehunters HMS Grimsby (pictured) and HMS Shoreham.

The minehunters were donated and were commissioned into the Ukrainian Navy in July 2023, having been renamed Chernihiv and Cherkasy, respectively, but have yet to reach Ukraine’s home waters.