WASHINGTON, December 26. / TASS /. Moscow has a significant military advantage over Kiev in the Sea of Azov, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba told The Washington Post media outlet on Sunday.

"In terms of security, the Sea of Azov is dominated by Russia," the top diplomat stated. "And in case of war, it will be heavily used by them to put pressure on our southern cities on the Azov shore." According to Kuleba, "of course, Russia dictates the situation in the Azov and basically uses it as a war theater."

Previously, the West and Ukraine frequently echoed an allegedly looming Russian invasion of Ukraine. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov castigated these statements as an empty and groundless escalation of tension, emphasizing that Russia posed no threat to anyone. At the same time, the Kremlin press secretary did not exclude some possible provocations to justify such claims and warned that the attempts to resolve the Ukrainian conflict by force would carry extremely serious consequences.