Ukraine's Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak said Ukraine's capabilities to respond to Russia's aggressive moves in the Black Sea are much greater than those in the Sea of Azov.

"We are definitely ready because, first, we have been drawing conclusions from what is going on in the Sea of Azov. Secondly, we have the opportunity there for maneuvering and expanding our capabilities. Thirdly, Russia is not the rightful owner of the Black Sea because there are NATO countries and they have their own interests," Poltorak said at a live talk at 5 Kanal TV channel on November 12 when asked by the presenter whether Ukraine was ready to timely respond to any moves by Russia in the Black Sea if it starts behaving as aggressively there as it now does in the Sea of Azov.

He said Ukraine's capabilities in the Black Sea are much greater and "there are much bigger capabilities to respond appropriately."

At the same time, the minister said Ukraine still needs to work on developing and expanding such capabilities even further.