During a national telethon, Dmytro Pletenchuk, the spokesperson for the Ukrainian Navy, commented on Russia's current maritime strategy, describing the sequence of its steps as "illogical." According to him, Moscow, having launched a campaign to blockade the Black Sea, has effectively deprived itself of access to the water area and is now trying to compensate for the losses by shifting exports to the Baltic and North Seas. Pletenchuk described this as an attempt to "jump on one leg carrying buckets of grain."
"Shooting in the foot": Consequences of the Black Sea blockade
The Navy spokesperson emphasized that Russia "first shot itself in the foot" by blocking the Black Sea both for Ukraine and for its own needs. "They started this campaign and were left without access to the Black Sea," Pletenchuk stated. At the same time, according to him, Ukraine also cannot fully use maritime corridors, making the situation mutually restrictive for both parties.
Moving exports to the Baltic: Expensive and time-consuming
According to Pletenchuk's assessment, Russia's attempt to redirect grain and metal exports to the Baltic Sea is economically unviable: logistics from "south to north" cost more and take longer. He added that Russian ships in the Baltic have already been "greeted repeatedly," meaning they have been subjected to strikes, and called such attacks "feedback on the theater of military operations in Ukraine." "There is also a Ukrainian with a club standing behind that door," the spokesperson summarized, implying that Russia's backup plan is also blocked.
Strikes in NATO territorial waters and the Gulf of Finland incident
Pletenchuk also pointed out that Russia has crossed boundaries by allowing itself to launch strikes in a safer zone—NATO's territorial waters. The context for these statements was the November 11 incident in the Gulf of Finland area, where, according to Estonian media, a small Russian Navy ship came under attack. Officially, the cause of the explosion and the presence of casualties among the crew have not been confirmed.
"Kalibrs" from the harbor and Navy priorities
Separately, the spokesperson noted that Russia has not launched Kalibr missiles against Ukraine from the sea for over five months, and launches are now being carried out from the harbor, which is extremely dangerous for the Russian crews themselves. Pletenchuk called ensuring security in the area of responsibility the main task of the Ukrainian Navy, noting that this goal is "already close" and the enemy understands that Ukraine will find a countermeasure to jet drones.
