OSINT: Civilian vessels pass Russian Black Sea blockade en route to Ukrainian ports
At least six civilian ships heading toward Ukrainian ports entered the Black Sea on July 30 despite the Russian blockade, based on naval tracking data.
Open-source intelligence (OSINT) investigator Markus Jonsson first reported on three civilian vessels – Ams1, Sahin 2, and Yilmaz Kaptan/Kudret Gezer, sailing from Israel, Greece, and Turkey/Georgia – heading across the Black Sea, "openly advertising destination Ukraine."
Ams1 and Sahin 2 passed through the Bosporus Strait, while Yilmaz Kaptan sailed west from northern Turkey.
Jonsson later corroborated his report with satellite imagery. Later on July 30, three more ships – Sealock, Bosphorus Queen, and Afer – set off through the Black Sea toward Ukrainian ports.
According to naval tracking data, Ams1 has so far stopped at the mouth of the Danube but its reported time of arrival in Ukraine's Dabune port of Izmail is on Aug. 1 at around 2 p.m. local time.
As of 2 p.m., the vessel has not yet entered the Danube River.
The other vessels also appear to be anchored at the river's mouth not far away from the Romanian port town of Sulina near Ukraine's border.
Russia instituted a de-facto blockade of the Black Sea after its unilateral termination of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, preventing Ukraine from exporting its grain.
Moscow threatened that all vessels heading toward Ukrainian ports will be treated as potential carriers of military cargo and that all ships on the Black Sea will be inspected.
Russian forces launched attacks against Ukraine's ports at the Danube River at Izmail and Reni on July 24. The ports are only 200 meters from the Romanian border.
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