The Turkish straits are open for the passage of Russian ships, RIA Novosti reports, citing the Istanbul Coastal Security Department.

The agency said they had not received any directives regarding the straits.

Earlier, the Russian embassy in Turkey reported that it had not received any official notification from the Turkish authorities about the closure of the straits for Russian warships.

Prior to this, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told in what cases Ankara can close the Bosphorus and Dardanelles for the passage of Russian warships.

On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that he had decided to conduct a military special operation to protect Donbass in response to a request for help from the heads of the LPR and DPR.

Ukraine severed diplomatic relations with Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has submitted a bill on general mobilization to the Verkhovna Rada.

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