A ceasefire at sea would mean an end to attacks on Ukraine’s port infrastructure, according to Dmytro Pletenchuk, spokesperson for the Ukrainian Navy, in an interview with Radio Liberty.
“For us, a ceasefire at sea means stopping the shelling of Ukraine’s port infrastructure. That’s how we see it. What Russia means by it is not hard to guess, but in any case, we need to read the final document before drawing conclusions,” Pletenchuk said.
He noted that the maritime component of Russian attacks is not the primary threat. A significant danger comes from the Iskander-M missile system stationed in temporarily occupied Crimea, which is used to strike Ukrainian territory.
Additionally, Shahed-type attack drones are launched from occupied Crimea, specifically from Cape Chauda. Whether this would be considered part of a ceasefire at sea remains an open question.
“As of today, carriers of Kalibr cruise missiles in the Black Sea have been used three times since the beginning of the year. I wouldn’t call this successful deployment. Most other attacks originate from occupied Crimea. If we talk about the Iskander-M system, launches happen from Crimea, meaning land-based strikes. Shahed launches also come from Cape Chauda in Crimea and from Primorsko-Akhtarsk in Russia. Yes, they approach from the sea, and we intercept them at sea, but is that considered a maritime component? And what about missiles launched from aircraft over the Black Sea? Are they part of a ceasefire at sea?” Pletenchuk questioned.
