Ukraine is keeping Russia from dominating the Black Sea, defense minister says

Ukraine's defense minister said Ukraine has kept Russia from dominating the Black Sea when asked about the potential risk to southern Ukraine in a possible large-scale Russian counteroffensive.

"I really don't like to make predictions or evaluate opinions, but in order for there to be a risk of capturing Odesa and the region in general, Russia must have dominance over the Black Sea," Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said during a press conference Sunday. "But we deprived them of this opportunity."

Reznikov gave an example of the Ukrainians using the Neptune, an anti-ship weapon developed in Ukraine, to target the Russian cruiser Moskva in 2022.

"Plus, the Harpoon anti-ship complexes are at work, so I don't see any chances for them approaching Odesa from the sea," the Defense Minister continued.

Talking about the left-bank territories of southern Ukraine, Reznikov said the enemy "has an opportunity to replenish their groupings with weapons, equipment and people; therefore, the situation there is more tense."