Ukraine plans to create a naval base in the Azov Sea
By the end of this year, Ukraine plans to create a naval base for the armed forces in the Azov Sea, reported the press service of the Cabinet of Ministers.
“Two armored artillery boats of the Ukrainian Navy were floated off the shore of Berdyansk. Before the end of the year, we will create a new naval base for the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Azov Sea,” said the government in a statement on Facebook.
On September 6th, at a meeting of the National Security and Defense Council, a decision was made to strengthen the naval presence in the Azov Sea.
This is due to the actions taken by the Russian Federation, specifically the fact that in 2018, Russia began to massively detain ships that are going to or coming from Ukrainian ports in the Azov Sea. The Ukrainian State Border Service considers this a method of economic pressure. The National Security and Defense Council Secretary Oleksandr Turchynov said that this was the beginning of an economic war blockade of the Azov coast.
President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko stated that “the goal of Russia is to occupy the Azov Sea in the same way they annexed the Crimea.”