MOSCOW: As per the statement by the army, Amid renewed tension in eastern Ukraine, Russia has sent 15 warships to the Black Sea for a manoeuvre, which passed through the Kerch Strait on the Crimean Peninsula on Saturday.
The US had previously cancelled the deployment of two warships to the Black Sea following complaints from Russia. On Friday, the Russian Defence Ministry declared that certain sea areas in Crimea would be closed off for months because of the manoeuvres. However, shipping in the strait was not affected, it said.
In the latest of several spats, five Federal Security Service vessels carried out “provocative manoeuvres” in the Azov Sea around three Gyurza-M-class artillery boats of Ukraine’s navy.
“In response to the threats from the Russian vessels, our sailors had to warn of a readiness to use weapons,” said Andrii Klymenko, editor of Black Sea News.
There are fears Russia is seeking to provoke a response from Ukraine which may act as a catalyst to a wider conflict and even full-scale war. Vladimir Putin is projected to have 115,000 troops in place by early next week.
International concern is growing about an escalation of the conflict in eastern Ukraine because of Russian troop deployments not far from the Ukrainian border.
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