FACT CHECK: No, The UK Has Not Sent Warships To The Black Sea

A video shared on Facebook claims the U.K. has sent warships to the Black Sea to break up a Russian naval blockade.

Verdict: False

While the U.K. has discussed the possibility of helping to end the Russian blockade, a government spokesperson confirmed there are currently no plans to send British warships to the Black Sea.

Fact Check:

A recently declassified U.S. intelligence report reveals that a Russian naval blockade has halted maritime trade out of Ukraine, which in turn has strained the global food supply chain, according to The Washington Post. Ukraine is the world’s fifth-largest exporter of wheat, Al-Jazeera reports.

A video shared on Facebook, which has garnered over 400,000 views, claims the U.K. has sent its navy to break the blockade. “PUTIN bewildered! UK sends warships to black sea to break Russia’s grain blockade in Ukraine,” reads the video’s title. (RELATED: Was A US Navy Ship Attacked By A Russian Warship?)

This claim is false. While the U.K. has discussed with its allies the possibility of sending warships to break the Russian blockade, according to the Independent, there is no evidence the country has done so. There is no mention of such a plan on the websites of the U.K. government or the Royal Navy. There is likewise no credible news reporting about the Royal Navy being dispatched to the Black Sea.

“Putin’s despicable blockade of Odesa is preventing food getting to people who need it,” said a U.K. government spokesperson in an email to Check Your Fact. “We will continue to work intensively with international partners to find ways to resume the export of grain from Ukraine. However, there are no current plans to deploy UK warships to the Black Sea.”

Under the Montreux Convention, which regulates maritime traffic in the Black Sea, warships are required to provide 15 days’ notice to the Turkish Government before entry, according to the Turkish government.

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