Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported a significant reduction in Russian export volumes at key ports as a result of Ukrainian long-range strikes, as well as Russian attempts to counter Ukraine's international defense cooperation and build up its military presence in Africa.
He reported this on his Telegram page.
Zelenskyy heard a report by the head of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine, Oleh Luhovsky, on the consequences of Ukrainian strikes on Russian logistics and energy infrastructure.
According to intelligence data, a decrease in load was recorded in a number of Russian ports:
- in Primorsk — by 13%,
- in Novorossiysk — by 38%,
- in Ust-Luga – by 43%.
“We believe that such internal Russian data may be underestimated. In turn, we will continue the operation to reduce Russian oil revenues and export volumes,” the president noted.
Separately, Zelensky reported on the documents received, which indicate Russia's plans to counter Ukraine's international cooperation in the defense sector, in particular within the framework of the Drone Deals initiative.
According to him, Moscow considers Ukraine's attraction of investments and development of defense partnerships as one of the key foreign policy challenges and is trying to prevent this, in particular through contacts with the countries of the Middle East and the Gulf.
The report also mentions the strengthening of the Russian military presence in Africa – by an additional 8 thousand people. According to Ukrainian intelligence estimates, the Russian Federation is expanding the use of unmanned technologies in the region through supplies, local production and training of personnel.
“In our assessment, the expansion of such military activity by Russia may inevitably lead, unfortunately, to the modernization and strengthening of terrorist organizations, cross-border crime, and instability in regions of the world that are critical from a migration perspective,” the president emphasized.