It is not known who is responsible for the attacks, but Johan Huovinen says Russia would have a lot to gain from striking the ships.
The reason is, of course, that this is now the peak season for exporting Ukrainian grain, which is essentially the Ukrainian economy, says Johan Huovinen.
“A front”
Just last week, two other ships were attacked in the Black Sea, one of which sank. A day earlier, two people were killed when a Turkish ship was attacked by drones near the coast of NATO member Romania.
Among others, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen condemned the latest attack. “The Black Sea has become another front in Russia’s escalating war in Ukraine,” she wrote on X.
The attacks have not taken place in the countries’ territorial waters, but in their so-called exclusive economic zones.
They have tried to use the economic zone as a kind of protection, but it doesn’t seem to work, says Johan Huovinen.
Regardless of what is behind the attacks, Russia will not admit anything, according to Huovinen.
“They will pretend to be completely incomprehensible about this. This is the kind of hybrid warfare Russia is so good at,” he says.
New security strategy
Last year, the EU presented a new security strategy for the Black Sea, specifically to counter the threat from Russia. The plan proposed a “maritime security hub” in cooperation with Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia and Turkey, the AFP news agency reports. The exchange of information between the countries would lead to a system for issuing rapid warnings when something happens in the Black Sea.
“I haven’t seen any trace of it, to be honest,” says Huovinen.
He hopes Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will talk to his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, to persuade him to stop the attacks.
There is no other European leader who can talk to Russia at the moment. Only Erdogan has that ability.
