Russia To Open Water Corridor To The Black Sea For Foreign Ships

Illustration - Russian Moskva 121 missile cruiser. (Wikimedia Commons/Mil.ru/Ministry of Defense)

JAKARTA - Russia will open a water corridor to the Black Sea for foreign ships, local media said on Wednesday.

"In order to ensure the safe passage of foreign ships from the Mariupol port, a corridor 115 miles long by 2 miles wide to the Black Sea will be arranged," state news agency TASS said, quoted by a Russian Defense Ministry source.

Thanks to the steps taken by the Russian Navy, the danger of mines in the Mariupol port is gone and steps to rebuild the port infrastructure are also underway, he said.

At least 3,974 civilians have been killed and 4,654 injured since the war in Ukraine began on February 24, according to UN estimates.

The actual number of victims is believed to be much higher.

Nearly 6.6 million people managed to escape to several countries. More than 7.7 million people are internally displaced, according to the United Nations refugee agency.