Ukraine's defense ministry assigns a number of priorities in 2019; one of them is the creation of the new naval base in the Sea of Azov. Stepan Poltorak, the defense minister said that at a press conference in Odesa, as Hromadske quoted him.
'We need to increase our presence in the Sea of Azov and react to the threats available in this region, and we will never say yes to another attempt of the Russian Federation to capture new territories, the entire the Sea of Azov', Poltorak said.
Apart from the new base in the Sea of Azov, the Ministry intends to create a new HQ of the Navy.
As is known, previously the UN General Assembly supported the resolution 'The Issue of Militarization of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol, as well as parts of the Black and Azov Seas'.
As we reported earlier, the Russian Navy attacked the Ukrainian vessels in the Kerch Strait in the Sea of Azov. The vessels were damaged, and the crews captured by the Russian special services. Ukraine and the Western governments consider the attack an act of aggression. The Ukrainian sailors were taken to a remand center in Crimea, and then in Moscow, charged with the 'illegal crossing of the Russian territorial waters'. All sailors deny their guilt, claiming they are prisoners of war.
