Two submarines that Russia had kept in the Black Sea for several days have returned to their base as of Thursday morning.
This was reported by the spokesperson for the Ukrainian Navy, Captain 3rd Rank Dmytro Pletenchuk, during a live TV broadcast.
Pletenchuk noted that the situation in the Azov Sea remains stable, and no significant changes are expected at the moment.
"As for the Black Sea, the situation there remains generally stable, but Russia still has the ability to quickly deploy their forces at sea. They are currently based in Novorossiysk, but as of this morning, the two submarines that they had held in the sea for several days have returned to their base," he said.
Regarding the situation in the Mediterranean, the spokesperson emphasized that Russia's presence there has geopolitical significance. However, Russia cannot strike Ukrainian territory from the Mediterranean.
"The Russian activity there always affects the geopolitical landscape. Even without a base, they demonstrate their presence. The situation used to involve supporting interests and combat capabilities in the Syrian Arab Republic, but now it's just a demonstration of presence. They enter from beyond the European waters, bypassing the Azov-Black Sea region, and show that they are still there. Of course, the carriers there are unlikely to be used against Ukraine, but nonetheless, they can still create tension," explained Pletenchuk.
