This was reported by the Russian Foreign Ministry, reports Russian TASS.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said that Russia itself decides where to hold a naval parade.

"The Russian Federation, being a sovereign state, has the right to organize parades, celebrations and other events on its territory at its discretion, without the consent of foreign states", - the Foreign Ministry said.

As for Crimea's affiliation with Ukraine, Moscow said it was advising Kyiv to "get rid of illusions and get used to the idea" that the peninsula was an "integral part of the Russian Federation", as such a choice, according to the occupiers, was made by "locals".

What is known

• On July 28, Ukraine sent a note of protest to the Russian Federation over a naval parade in Sevastopol on July 26. The Ukrainian diplomatic mission said that the parade was a conscious step by the Russian Federation to escalate tensions between the countries.
• Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Sergey Krivonos claims that the Russian headquarters and mobilization base on the peninsula are in a prepared state and can very quickly move into the "active phase of hostilities".
• At a briefing in Donetsk, the commander of the Joint Forces, Lieutenant General Volodymyr Kravchenko, said that no one could forbid Ukrainian servicemen to defend themselves and their comrades https://crimea.suspilne.media/ua/news/644in the event of a clear armed aggression by the enemy. He added that he was "ready to continue to give a decent rebuff to the occupying forces".