The commander of the Ukrainian Navy, Oleksii Neizhpapa, told Sky News that the state of the war would have been very different if the allies had not imposed restrictions on Kiev regarding the use of Western weapons.
In an interview published on January 27, Vice Admiral Neizhpapa noted that Kiev could have won the war faster if they had been given permission to use Western weapons against targets inside Russia.
“We must have the necessary capabilities to ensure that Russia will give up the idea of even looking towards Ukraine, including at sea,” said Neizhpapa, quoted by Sky News.
Throughout the war, Ukraine has consistently targeted the Russian Black Sea fleet, with the most well-known strike being the sinking of the Russian missile cruiser Moskva in April 2022, valued at $750 million.
In October 2023, British Minister of the Armed Forces James Heappey stated that recent Ukrainian attacks against the Russian fleet in the Black Sea have led to the “functional defeat” of the Russian navy in the region.
⚡️To prevent the 🇷🇺Russian fleet from attacking and to ensure the access of ships to 🇺🇦Ukrainian ports – the Commander of the Navy of Ukraine, Vice Admiral Oleksiy Neizhpapa, in an interview with Sky News, named two goals of the war against the Russian Federation at sea… pic.twitter.com/BZwHyVvJzR
— 🪖MilitaryNewsUA🇺🇦 (@front_ukrainian) January 28, 2024