Russian MoD: US Setting Up Multinational Forces Close to Russian Border
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Russia's Defense Ministry describes US Navy movements in the Black Sea as "destabilizing", whose goal is to exploit Ukraine's territory militarily.
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The US Navy will conduct maneuvers with NATO in the Black Sea
Russia's Defense Ministry reported that the US is setting up a multinational group of armed forces close to the Russian border.
"These are unscheduled moves by the US military that is setting up a multinational group of armed forces in close proximity to the Russian border," the Defense Ministry stressed.
The US Navy's guided-missile destroyer USS Porter, tanker USS John Lenthall, and a command ship, the USS Mount Whitney, are deployed in the Black Sea. Two US Air Force long strategic bombers also performed patrols over the Black Sea at a distance of 100 km from the Russian border.
Military exploitation
The Defense Ministry described these moves as being a destabilizing factor in the region and said they pursue the goal of the military exploitation of Ukrainian territory.
"Considering that in addition to the US Navy, the drills will involve tactical, patrol and strategic aircraft, and also the contingents of the armed forces of Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, Turkey and Ukraine, this is evidence of an attempt to study the prospective theater of military operations in case Kiev prepares a use-of-force scenario in the southeast," the statement says.
Russia's armed forces are continuously following the situation, with Russia's Black Sea fleet carrying out a set of measures to track US warship deployment in the waters.
Russian Army reinforcements in Crimea
According to the Montreux Convention, non-Black Sea country warships cannot remain in the region for more than 21 days.
The Russian army had opened fire in June on a British destroyer that violated the Russian border in the Black Sea, near Crimea.
NATO had announced plans to reinforce its presence in the Black Sea region, while Russia greatly reinforced its military presence there in the last few years.
The Russian Army established a Crimea legion, and in the past few years, its Black Sea fleet was reinforced with 6 diesel submarines, a large number of frigates, and small ships equipped with long-range Kalibr missiles.
The Army also deployed four S-400 regiments in Crimea, as well as numerous missiles, and anti-aircraft Pantsir-S systems. It is also planning to build a new early warning radar system near Sevastopol.
