The defence ministry in Kyiv issued a statement saying that, from midnight last night, all shipping plying Russian-held ports "may be considered by Ukraine as carrying military cargo with all the associated risks". The announcement mirrored a threat from Moscow on Wednesday against all ships that use Ukrainian ports.
"The fate of the cruiser Moskva proves that the defence forces of Ukraine have the necessary means to repel Russian aggression at sea," the ministry said, in a reference to the sinking of the flagship of Russia's Black Sea Fleet last year.
"Ukrainian-made maritime drones are capable of destroying stationary and moving targets anywhere in the Black Sea," a Ukrainian interior ministry adviser, Anton Gerashchenko, wrote on Twitter.
This story is from the July 21, 2023 edition of The Guardian.
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This story is from the July 21, 2023 edition of The Guardian.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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