British Defense Secretary Grant Shabbs on Sunday hailed Ukraine's destruction of two Russian warships off Sevastopol, Crimea, as a “historic moment” that could change the dynamics of the conflict in the Black Sea.
“This is a historic moment and a new change in the dynamics of the Black Sea,” the British ruler said in a statement published by Sky News.
At issue is a nighttime attack by Ukrainian forces against two Russian ships, a communications center and other infrastructure in Sevastopol, a Ukrainian territory under Russian occupation of the Crimean peninsula.
Information about the attack was provided by Ukrainian authorities, Russia did not comment.
The British minister points out that the ships were “destroyed” and that the attack means “Russia can no longer operate with security guarantees” in that area of the sea.
“After years of Russia's illegal control over Crimea, the destruction of these important warships is a significant milestone for Russia,” he said.
The two ships in question were designed in Poland in 1987, 98 people and 112.5 meters long, and Azov, designed in 1972, more than 173 meters long and more than 400 crew members.
Russia launched a military offensive against Ukraine on February 24 and annexed the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea (south) in 2014.
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