This is the 866th day of Russian aggression against Ukraine. On the website wPolitce.pl we report events on the front for you.

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Monday, July 8, 2024

00:01. President Zelensky: Russia will never dominate the Black Sea region again

The Black Sea region will never again be a place of Russian domination, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Ukrainian Navy Day celebrated on Sunday. The head of state visited Odessa on this occasion.

During this war, Ukraine acquired a completely different status for the Black Sea region: this region will forever be free from Russian domination. Our country will always have its own fleet – a modern fleet, its own influence and a clear strategy of action, a new maritime strategy for Ukraine. All this would not have been possible without the courage and performance of our Ukrainian marines.

Zelensky said.

During his visit to Odessa, the President met with the Heads of the Dutch Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defense, Caspar Veldkamp and Ruben Brekelmans, as well as the new British Defense Secretary, John Healey.

We will continue to strengthen the Ukrainian Navy together with the UK and the Netherlands – there are new and good details of our cooperation. Today we are talking about strengthening air defense, which is our absolute priority, and I am grateful for the readiness to take the next steps, including (in the provision of F-16 fighters).

Zelensky said.

In a recent interview with Reuters, Ukrainian Navy commander Oleksiy Neyizhpapa said that Russia’s Black Sea Fleet had been forced to redeploy almost all of its combat-ready ships from occupied Crimea, and that the main naval base in Sevastopol was becoming less and less useful due to the Ukrainian offensive.

During the war, Ukraine destroyed or damaged 27 warships, including five destroyed by sea mines planted by Ukrainian naval drones near Sevastopol Bay, the vice admiral said.

In addition to the Ukrainian naval drone attacks and incursions, Russian warships also did not enter the northwestern part of the Black Sea in an area of ​​nearly 25,000 square kilometers (9,650 square miles), Nejizhpapa said.

ed/PAP/X/FB