Russian warships of the Black Sea Fleet demonstratively approached Mariupol, reports portal “Mariupol News” with reference to data from the city’s Defense Headquarters.
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The publication claims that Russian combat units were detected at a distance of 4 nautical miles from the shore of the Belosarayskaya Spit by Ukrainian border guards.
Ukrainian media claim that it was an entire squadron, “which included warships, minesweepers and small surface vessels.”
“The squadron carried out provocative actions. After some work was done by the Ukrainian maritime border guards, the ships moved away from their location. There was no threat of invasion towards Mariupol. Perhaps, in this way, the enemy conducted reconnaissance and studied the reaction of the Ukrainian side to the invasion of ships into the territorial waters of Ukraine,” the publication says.
“The Ukrainian border troops have something to meet the enemy from the sea in the event of a possible manifestation of aggression by water. Recently, planned training was carried out on mining the sea zone, on its protection, and on repelling a possible landing. Such classes are held regularly. The Border Service of Ukraine today has enough high-class specialists of the relevant profile in order to protect the territorial integrity of Ukraine from the sea,” Mariupol News reassures readers.
As PolitNavigator reported, earlier Verkhovna Rada deputy from the Popular Front Dmitry Storozhuk called for lifting the blockade of Crimea, since, in his opinion, it could provoke an attack by Russian troops and the creation of a land corridor to the peninsula.
“We must think about those people who live in Crimea. We understand that all these actions can lead to unpredictable consequences. The Russian Federation will not be able to ensure the delivery of food, much less electricity, via ferries in sufficient quantities. On the other hand, this could provoke them into further military actions through Mariupol and part of the Nikolaev region in order to create a corridor to Crimea,” Storozhuk said.