The Russian Navy conducted a live-fire “exercise” in the northwest Black Sea, Moscow’s Defense Ministry said on Friday, days after the Kremlin said it would consider ships traveling to Ukraine via the waterway as potential military targets.
The Black Sea Fleet “conducted live firing of anti-ship cruise missiles at the target ship in the combat training area in the northwestern part of the Black Sea,” the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app.
“The target ship was destroyed following a missile strike,” he said.
“Also during the joint exercise, ships and fleet aviation included measures to isolate the area temporarily closed to shipping, and also took a set of measures to detain the offending vessel.”
Russia said on Wednesday that cargo ships en route to Ukraine’s Black Sea ports would be considered capable of carrying military goods, days after a grain export deal with Ukraine ended.
The Kremlin also declared unspecified areas in the “northwestern and southeastern parts of the international waters of the Black Sea” as “temporarily unsafe for passage”.
Moscow has warned of the “risks” of establishing sea routes in the Black Sea without its participation.
Kyiv has said it is ready to continue grain exports through its southern ports, despite Russia’s withdrawal from the deal.