Occupiers Set Up Cargo Checkpoint Along “State Border” in Berdiansk Port

The Russians expect to export up to 1.5 million tons of stolen cargo through the occupied port in the future.

The Russians have set up a cargo checkpoint across the so-called “state border” in the Berdiansk seaport. The technical outfitting of the checkpoint is scheduled for completion in 2026.

The checkpoint will be permanent and multilateral, the CFTS portal reports, citing the PortNews publication.

The Russian occupiers project that the checkpoint will eventually handle approximately 4,800 crew members and over 200 cargo vessels annually. They also estimate a cargo throughput capacity of up to 1.5 million tons per year.

As previously reported, the Russians plan to open a similar checkpoint in the port of Mariupol.

In August, the Russian occupiers added Mariupol and Berdiansk to the list of ports open to foreign ships. Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the relevant unlawful directive issued by the Russian government. The ministry emphasized that the directive constitutes a blatant violation of fundamental international legal norms and principles, including those enshrined in the United Nations Charter (which establishes the principle of sovereignty of states and the prohibition of interference in their internal affairs), the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (which stipulates that Ukraine has exclusive jurisdiction over the regulation of navigation within its territorial waters), and United Nations General Assembly resolutions (which reaffirm Ukraine’s sovereignty over all territories within its internationally recognized borders).