A senior U.S. military leader says the Ukrainian Naval Force has severely decreased in size since Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula.
U.S. Vice Admiral James Foggo told reporters Wednesday that Ukraine’s navy personnel alone has shrunk from about 17,000 to 5,000.
“They essentially lost about two-thirds of their people and two-thirds of their ships,” said Foggo, who commands the U.S. Sixth Fleet.
The Crimean peninsula’s Sevastopol port was Ukraine’s major naval hub prior to the region’s annexation, Foggo explained. Afterward, the Ukrainian navy had to relocate its hub to Odessa.
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Source: Voice of America
