On August 13, Russian troops fired warning shots in front of a merchant vessel in the Black Sea before boarding the ship. Ukraine said it was a clear violation of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and called on the international community to take action. It was a worrying episode but Kyiv had an even bigger problem - Russia was entirely within its rights to act as it had. And there’s more. Having pulled out of the grain deal, Russia is desperate for the world to think they’ve put a blockade on Ukrainian ports when actually none exists. In this episode of Defence in Depth, Dominic Nicholls, The Telegraph’s associate editor, explains how Russia is trying to secure a de facto naval blockade of Ukraine without taking on the responsibility for enforcing one; and, even if Russia had the means to hold a blockade, why Vladimir Putin wouldn’t want to upset his friend in Beijing. #russia #navy #ukraine #putin Find our Defence in Depth playlist here:    • Defence in Depth | The Telegraph   For our podcast Ukraine: The Latest, visit:    • Ukraine: The Latest | Podcast | The T...   Subscribe to The Telegraph with our special offer: just £1 for 3 months. Start your free trial now: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/customer/subscribe/digitalsub/3for1/?WT.mc_id=tmgoff_pvid_conversion-subscription_editorial-iniative_03-22_EGW-13_organic_youtube Get the latest headlines: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/ Telegraph.co.uk and null are websites of The Telegraph, the UK's best-selling quality daily newspaper providing news and analysis on UK and world events, business, sport, lifestyle and culture.