According to reports, the Russian defense ministry has announced the opening of two safety lanes for foreign ships leaving ports on the Black and Azov Seas between the hours of 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. Moscow time.
Colonel-General Mikhail Mizintsev of the Russian General Staff's National Defence Control Centre said 70 foreign ships from 16 nations are currently docked in six Black Sea ports, including Mariupol, Odesa, Kherson, and Mykolaiv.
He said that fire from Ukraine was a concern and that mines prevented “ships to go to the open sea without hindrance.”