Grant Shapps has said the Russian fleet in the Black Sea is “functionally inactive” following a set of strikes. The defence secretary was speaking as Kyiv forces destroyed two large Russian warships, the Yamal and the Azov, in the Black Sea along with other navy facilities over the weekend. Shapps said: “Putin’s continued illegal occupation of Ukraine is exacting a massive cost on Russia’s Black Sea fleet which is now functionally inactive. “Russia has sailed the Black Sea since 1783 but is now forced to constrain [its] fleet to port. And even there, Putin’s ships are sinking.” A spokesperson …
