UK MoD: Presence of mines in Black Sea “almost certainly” due to Russian naval activity

The UK Ministry of Defence has published an update on the situation in Ukraine stating that the presence of mines in the Black Sea is “almost certainly” due to Russian naval activity.

The UK officials also stated that the Russian naval forces continue to maintain their distant blockade of the Ukrainian coast in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. The blockade is preventing Ukrainian resupply by sea.

Earlier on, UK MoD claimed that the Russian naval forces have established a distant blockade of Ukraine’s Black Sea coast while continuing to conduct missile strikes throughout the country.

Furthermore, the ministry noted that there is a possibility of an amphibious assault but such an operation is “likely to be increasingly high risk” for Russian forces because of “the amount of time that Ukrainian defenders have had to prepare”.

Two weeks ago, Ukraine’s armed forces destroyed the Russian Navy’s landing ship Orsk in the port city of Berdyansk.