Black Sea

How the Kremlin is using nuclear threats and a looming global food crisis to try and escape sanctions over its Ukraine war.

"Two ships with a total volley of up to 16 '3M-54 Kalibr' missiles are ready for use in the Black Sea," said a spokesman from Ukraine's Ministry of Defense.

Anton Gerashchenko said U.S. officials are in talks to deliver anti-ship missiles as fears grow a Russian Black Sea blockade threatens world food supplies.

Russia said it had repelled Ukrainian efforts to retake the island - and yet, hours later, Ukraine claimed a small victory over the Russian Black Sea fleet.

Russia has recently ramped up its attacks on Odesa, a key port city along the Black Sea.

The World Food Programme said that the millions of tonnes of grain is stranded in Black Sea ports closed by the Ukraine war.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he had "no information" about reported strikes against the Russian warship.

The country has worked to control the water for centuries, but is losing its grip after losses suffered during the war in Ukraine and having its access cut off.

Ukraine's military chief released a video that reportedly shows a Ukrainian Bayraktar drone striking two Russian Raptor fast-attack craft near Snake Island.

The British Defense Ministry said that Russia's Navy can still strike Ukrainian targets despite the loss of the Moskva.

Vadym Prystaiko, Ukraine's ambassador to the U.K., said Russia's invasion had "shattered" security in the Black Sea.

The Kremlin claimed the Soviet-era vessel's 500 personnel were evacuated to other ships before being returned to the port of Sevastopol in Crimea on Friday.

Moscow has not publicly announced any possible casualties among the Moskva's crew members.

Former member of the Russian Duma Vladimir Bortko called the sinking "an absolute cause for war."

Ukraine claimed to have hit the ship with a missile strike while Russian authorities maintained the damage was due to a fire that detonated ammunition onboard.

Ukrainian Naval Forces announced today that a contingent of troops thought to be dead on an island in the Black Sea actually survived a Russian attack.

"We see them fly in more combat and support aircraft. We see them sharpen their readiness in the Black Sea," U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said.

The Russian Defense Ministry said the Russian Navy will have a series of exercises in all zones of responsibility from January to February, according to TASS.

The Russian president told a TV interview that alliance posed a "serious challenge" in the Black Sea region.

The Russian defence ministry said a British Air Force RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft tried to approach the Russian border.

Mikhail Popov, deputy secretary of Russia's Security Council, told "Rossiyskaya" Gazeta that NATO members were provoking Russia.

"Imagine a situation where Russia conducts drills in the Gulf of Mexico. This would have sparked a storm of indignation in the US," Moscow's embassy in Washington told Newsweek.

"U.S. Sixth Fleet along with Allies and partners will continue to conduct routine operations in international waters and airspace, ensuring freedom of navigation and uninhibited maritime trade across the global commons," a U.S. 6th Fleet spokesperson told Newsweek.

A U.S. Sixth Fleet spokesperson told Newsweek that Russia is "acting unilaterally as an aggressive nation" in the Black Sea region.

Russia's top diplomat Sergey Lavrov told Indonesian media the U.S had warned and outlined demands to Moscow since the Putin-Biden summit.

Ongoing confrontations between NATO and Russian forces in recent weeks have prompted fears of a sudden, violent escalation.

Dmytro Kuleba told Newsweek that Ukraine is urging NATO nations not to repeat past mistakes and allow Moscow to expand its presence in the Black Sea.

The Russian president said he wishes for a successor who is capable of leading a "wonderful country like Russia."

Spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned of "negative consequences," two weeks on from the Putin-Biden summit.

Claims come days after a Black Sea spat between Moscow and London over the British Navy ship HMS Defender.