"I do not exclude such actions on the part of the Russian Empire. We are preparing. I can’t tell everything, but here’s a small fact. The range of the Neptune missile system allows us to use it from mainland Ukraine on the approaches to Sevastopol,"he said.
He also added that as soon as the Navy understands that the canal has begun to operate in Crimea, this will be a sure signal that the Russian Federation is preparing for a full-scale confrontation "and the Ukrainian side will have to answer the calls."
"We are preparing for a full-scale military confrontation, realizing that if this happens, then, alas, it will be a lot of losses – both our soldiers and the civilian population. Many people don’t understand this now – although the country has been fighting for the seventh year," added the Navy commander.
"Now we are doing the reinforcement at sea. The President and the Minister of Defense gave the Navy carte blanche: a project is being developed to build new fleet-based locations – we can’t only be present in a small harbor in Odesa and in a small harbor in Ochakovo … Decisions are being made to get land on the shores of the Black and Azov Seas to create decent bases," the commander explained.
He added that his task will be to ensure that the Ukrainian Navy can take the main attack not on the coast, but at sea.
