Russian Navy will not let US warships in the Black Sea feel at ease

The United States is building up an international military group in close proximity to the Russian border, the Russian Defence Ministry said.

According to the ministry, USS Porter with guided missile weapons on board, USS Mount Whitney command ship and the John Lenthall tanker of the US Navy are currently staying in the waters of the Black Sea. Two US Air Force B-1B strategic bombers flew over the Black Sea at a distance of about 100 km from the Russian state border.

It goes about the unscheduled actions of the US forces to build up a multinational armed forces grouping in the immediate vicinity of the Russian border, representatives for the Russian Defence Ministry said.

The ships of the US Navy arrived in the Black Sea to participate in multinational exercises conducted by the joint command of the US Armed Forces in Europe in the Black Sea region.

Such actions destabilise the state of affairs in the region. Taking into account the fact that in addition to the US Navy, it is planned to use strategic, tactical and patrol aircraft, as well as contingents of the armed forces of Georgia, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine and Turkey, there is every reason to believe that foreign nations sound out the alleged theater of military operations in the event Ukraine prepares a military operation to regain control over the breakaway republics of the Donbass.

The Russian Defense Ministry noted that the Russian Armed Forces are continuously monitoring the way the situation develops. The Black Sea Fleet takes measures to control the actions of US Navy ships in the купшщт.

USS Mount Whitney and USS Porter are currently staying in the port of Batumi (Georgia), while the John Lenthall tanker is in the southwestern part of the Black Sea, the ministry added.