Russia demands US scrap ‘aggressive’ Black Sea naval war-games, warning drills fuel tensions & increase risk of deadly incidents

Moscow’s diplomatic mission in Washington has reacted furiously to news that American sailors are set to take part in major war games in the Black Sea, practicing naval battles and troop landings, close to Russia’s coastline.

In a statement posted to Twitter on Wednesday, the Russian Embassy said that “the scale and aggressive nature of the ‘Sea Breeze’ exercises in no way helps with the real challenges of ensuring security in the Black Sea region.” Ukrainian forces will also take part in the drills.

According to the envoys, the NATO drills will “increase the risk of unintentional incidents” and simultaneously “encourage militaristic sentiments in Kiev.” A spokesman for the US Sixth Fleet had previously said that Washington is “proud to partner with Ukraine in co-hosting the multinational maritime exercise.”

READ MORE: American missiles capable of striking Crimea fired into Black Sea as risk of confrontation on Russia’s borders continues to grow

The Russian diplomats went on to urge the US and other NATO members “to refuse to practice military operations in the Black Sea.” Instead, they said, multilateral formats that aim to preserve peace in the sensitive area should be championed. “Any problems in the region can be championed by Black Sea states without the need to ‘impose’ outside assistance,” the embassy added.

Vessels and personnel from 32 separate nations will participate in the Sea Breeze drills, including both the US and Ukraine, as well as the UK, France, Poland, Georgia, Senegal, South Korea, Pakistan, Japan, and Morocco, among others.

The war games will run from June 28 to July 10 and, according to US military chiefs, will see sailors rehearse “multiple warfare areas including amphibious warfare, land maneuver warfare, diving operations, maritime interdiction operations, air defense, special operations integration, anti-submarine warfare, and search and rescue operations.”

Russian sailors conducted a series of their own exercises off the country’s south coast in April. Destroyers, landing vessels, and hovercraft took part in the wargames, which were announced shortly after reports that the US had ordered two warships into the region amid tensions over the shared border between Russia and Ukraine.

In November last year, American missiles capable of striking Crimea landed in the waters of the Black Sea as part of US-led military drills. The rocket launch tests fired from Romania were designed to show off the new high-tech HIMARS systems, but sparked outrage from Crimean politicians.

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