Russia-Ukraine war: Crimean official says 'Sea of Azov is forever lost to Ukraine'

As the invading Russian forces continue to rummage through Ukrainian towns and cities, Crimea's deputy prime minister, Georgy Muradov claimed that the ‘Sea of Azov’ is forever lost to Ukraine, as per reports from Russia's RIA Novosti news agency. Muradov said, “The Sea of Azov is forever lost to Ukraine. Ports in the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions will never again be Ukrainian.” 

Further, the Crimean official asserted, “I am sure that after the reunification of our regions with Russia, the Sea of Azov will again, as it was before, become exclusively an inland sea of the Russian Federation,” RIA Novosti news agency reported.  

Apart from Crimean official Muradov, Vladimir Rogov, a Russian-appointed official in the seized Zaporizhzhia area, is quoted by the agency as stating the same thing, that the occupied Zaporizhzhia and Kherson territories will never be restored to Kyiv's authority.  

In addition to this, on May 25, Wednesday, the Zaporizhzhya regional military administration stated that Russia had fired four missiles against the region, one of which was intercepted by Ukrainian air defences. One person was slain and three others were injured in the incident, according to the regional government on Telegram. 

The regional military administration also claimed that the missile strike began at 5.13 a.m. (local time) and destroyed 62 structures. Despite the fact that one Russian missile was taken down, the other three struck Shevchenkivskyi and a business centre in Oleksandrivskyi, respectively, as per media reports.  

Ukraine destroyed five Orlan-10 unmanned aerial vehicles in one day

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the Air Force of embattled Ukraine destroyed five Orlan-10 unmanned aerial vehicles, two cruise missiles, and ten light-armoured vehicles in one day, according to the Command of Armed Forces of Ukraine. 

According to the Command, the occupying forces continued to launch cruise missiles at Ukraine on May 25. Further, it revealed that  Tu-22M3 long-range bombers were launched from Russian territory towards formations of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Donetsk and Luhansk at about 8 p.m (local time). Fighters from the Air Force of Ukraine's Armed Forces intercepted and destroyed two cruise missiles, it added. 

Moreover, amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, a Ukrainian soldier knocked down the second aggressor jet in a month in the Zaporizhzhya area on May 23, as per the press department of Ukraine's National Guard. The invading troops' aircraft "SU-25," "Grach," was destroyed by a well-aimed shot. 

(Image: AP)