Poroshenko does not exclude that Russia might prepare for attack on Mariupol

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has said that Russia is building up forces and weapons in the Black and Azov Seas and does not exclude that the Kremlin might prepare for an attack on Mariupol. He said this in a speech before the start of the multinational international Sea Breeze-2018 military training exercise in Odesa, - the press service of the head of state reported.

He noted that Russia had begun to illegally stop and inspect ships heading to Ukrainian ports in the Azov Sea under flags of Ukraine and other states.

"We see that this is being done to block the ports of Ukraine in the Azov Sea, to escalate tension and, possibly, to carry out a military operation - attacks on Mariupol, where exports of products and ferrous metallurgy of Ukraine are conducted, as well as attacks on other ports of the Azov Sea", - he said.

Poroshenko said that at the moment the combat readiness of the Ukrainian Navy, as well as their interoperability with allies from NATO member countries and with the security allies in the Black Sea region, is very important.