Kremlin: Russia targeting military supply routes to Ukraine through the Black Sea

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that Russia was responding to attacks launched by Kyiv in the Black Sea basin, stressing that the Ukrainian side was currently bearing the consequences of those attacks. Speaking to reporters, Peskov added: ‘Ukraine has to pay the price for that, and it is already paying it’, referring to operations carried out by Russian forces in the Black Sea in response to Ukrainian attacks.

Moscow declares cutting maritime supplies a priority

He said Russia was continuing what it calls the ‘special military operation’, stressing that cutting supplies transported by sea to Ukrainian forces was a priority for Moscow. According to him, these supplies include military equipment, ammunition and fuel used to meet the needs of the Ukrainian armed forces.

Russian and Ukrainian escalation in the Black Sea

Russia has previously rejected repeated proposals for a limited truce in the Black Sea. Since July, the Russian and Ukrainian sides have intensified attacks that have targeted ships, ports and energy facilities in the area. In this context, Russia’s Defence Ministry said in a statement issued on Friday that its forces had targeted a bridge designated for car and rail traffic in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv.

The ministry said the bridge, which crosses the Dnieper River, was used to transport military shipments and provide logistical support to Ukrainian formations in the Donbas region. It also said Russian forces had targeted a cargo ship in the Black Sea overnight, claiming that it was carrying military equipment to the port of Odesa for Ukrainian forces.

Russia’s Defence Ministry also reported targeting an industrial and production complex at the port of Izmail, saying the facility had been used to sort military shipments and fuel and distribute them to the Ukrainian army.