Ukraine has claimed initiative in Black Sea and forced Russian navy to pull back, Zelenskiy says – as it happened

Ukraine has claimed initiative in Black Sea and forced Russian navy to pull back, Zelenskiy says

The president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said on Thursday that Ukraine had seized the initiative from Russia in the Black Sea and forced Russia’s naval fleet to pull back in the eastern part of the sea.

“For the first time in the world, it was in the Black Sea that a fleet of naval drones began to operate – a Ukrainian fleet,” Zelenskiy wrote on the Telegram.

“I would also like to note that now – as one of the main results of our actions – Russia is unable to use the Black Sea as a springboard to destabilise other regions of the world.”