Russian authorities have suspended the passage of merchant ships in the Sea of Azov until further notice, according to a statement from the state agency for maritime and river transport on Thursday.
Ukraine and Russia both have ports in the Sea of Azov, including the main Ukrainian port of Mariupol, while Russia controls the mouth of the sea at the Kerch Strait.
Russian ground forces on On Thursday, he entered Ukraine from several directions, the Ukrainian Border Guard Service said, hours after President Vladimir Putin announced the start of an important offensive.
Ukrainian border guards said that Russian tanks and other heavy vehicles equipment crossed the border in several northern regions, as well as the Crimean peninsula annexed to the Kremlin in South.
