Will Ukraine sink Russian vessels: Ukrainian Ministry of Defense doesn't rule it out

Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine, Volodymyr Havrylov, commented on the statement of the defense department that starting from 00:00 on July 21, 2023, all vessels heading towards the seaports of the Russian Federation and Ukrainian seaports located in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine could be considered by Ukraine as transporting military cargo with all corresponding risks.

"Do we have the capability for this? Compared to how the war began, we do have such capabilities. And they will be even greater. These capabilities will allow us to fulfill the ambition I spoke of last year: 'To push all of this Black Sea fleet closer to places like Tuapse and Novorossiysk and not let them move in the area of Crimea,'" emphasized the deputy minister.

He also pointed out that Ukraine's capabilities are not limited to just systems like "Neptune," as there are other systems in the Ukrainian army's arsenal.

Havrylov emphasized that Ukraine has become much stronger in this matter compared to the previous year. According to him, the longer the war drags on, the fewer chances the Russian Black Sea fleet will have to survive in the near future.

"Therefore, let them think and calculate. If someone doubts, let them wait," concluded the deputy minister.

Russia's withdrawal from the "grain deal"

On July 17, Russia announced its withdrawal from the "grain deal," claiming that the Kremlin's conditions were not met.

However, the Kremlin had already been obstructing the stable operation of the "grain corridor" for several months by blocking inspections of ships and shelling grain terminals in Odesa ports.

In response, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy proposed to Türkiye and the UN to extend the "grain deal" in a trilateral format.

Meanwhile, the Russian Ministry of Defense threatened that any ships heading to Black Sea ports would be considered engaged in the war. In turn, Ukraine promised to respond in kind.