The Black Sea, the Bosporus, and the Russian Question
Montreux Convention, naval access, and the slow strategic squeeze on Russia's southern fleet
On February 28, 2022, four days into the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Republic of Türkiye announced that it was invoking Article 19 of the 1936 Montreux Convention to close the Turkish Straits — the Bosporus and the Dardanelles — to warships of any belligerent state. The announcement was specifically framed under the Convention's wartime provisions and applied to both Russian and Ukrainian naval vessels (the latter limited in any case), as well as to warships of NATO and other powers seeking to enter the Black Sea from the Mediterranean to support either side. The closure has remained substantially in force in the years since.
The practical effect on Russia's Black Sea Fleet was immediate and structural: any Russian naval vessel outside the Black Sea at the time of closure could not return; any Russian vessel inside could not be reinforced from the Northern, Baltic, or Pacific fleets.
That is the opening. Finishing a lesson is where it stops being interesting and starts being useful: the full lesson runs to 7 sections and ends with 6 practice questions. A free account is what opens the rest, and the other 255 lessons in the Academy with it. No card.
What this lesson covers
- 1The Montreux Convention — what it actually says and does
- 2Commercial implications — Russian and Ukrainian flows through the straits
- 3The Montreux regime in detail — what each article actually permits and prohibits
- 4Montreux Convention regime at a glance
- 5Türkiye's Article 19 closure (February 28, 2022) and the Moskva sinking (April 14, 2022)
- 6Where to see this on the platform
- 7Summary