Ukraine welcomed a US Navy ship that entered the Black Sea on Thursday as part of NATO drills, while Russia is keeping a close eye on the ship's voyage.

The US Navy announced that the USS Mount Whitney, a Blue Ridge-class amphibious command ship, had entered the region to conduct routine naval operations with US allies and NATO partners.

Russian authorities: Russian Black Sea Fleet forces began tracking and monitoring the ship

For its part, the Russian National Defense Control Center stated that the Russian Black Sea Fleet forces began tracking and monitoring the movements of the US ship, which entered the Black Sea on November 4.

Russian Naval drills in the Black Sea

A few days ago, the Russian naval forces practiced destroying hostile targets in the Black Sea on Tuesday, as Moscow bristled at the presence of two US warships in the area.

The Black Sea fleet said its ships had practiced destroying hostile targets, and their air defense systems had been put on alert at its bases in Novorossiysk and on Crimea, the Interfax news agency reported.

Russian forces could observe the USS Mount Whitney navy command ship "through binoculars or in the crosshairs of its... defense systems," President Vladimir Putin said Monday. The leader also complained about NATO activity near Russia's borders.

Russia had previously warned Western countries against sending warships to the Black Sea and approaching the coast of Crimea.