Abstract. The launch of Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine was marked by the closure of a sufficiently large water area of the northwestern part of the Black Sea that Russia declared a “temporarily dangerous area” where it could not guarantee the safety of navigation. This affected the interests of both Ukraine and neutral states in the field of maritime trade. At the request of the UN Secretary-General, the Russian Federation formed a sea corridor for the safe transportation of the Ukrainian grain and other products in order to address the problem of hunger and food insecurity in most vulnerable states. This initiative was implemented until Russia pressed reasonable charges of complete violation of the peaceful spirit of the grain deal by Ukraine. Russia’s withdrawal from the “grain deal” marked the return to the regime of the temporarily dangerous area, which Ukraine and its foreign partners hastened to declare a full-fledged blockade. The formation of such a “closed” area for shipping and accusations of blockade require a legal analysis of the situation.