Russia holds Black Sea navy drills with eye on U.S. ships
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[November 02, 2021]
By Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber and Tom Balmforth
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's Black Sea naval
forces practised destroying enemy targets on Tuesday as Moscow bristled
at the presence of two U.S. warships in the area.
President Vladimir Putin said on Monday that Russian forces could
observe the USS Mount Whitney navy command ship "through binoculars or
in the crosshairs of its ... defence systems" and complained about NATO
activity near Russia's borders.
On Tuesday, the Black Sea fleet said its ships had rehearsed destroying
enemy targets and that their air defence systems had been put on alert
at its bases in Novorossiysk and on annexed Crimea, the Interfax news
agency reported.
"They... destroyed airborne targets of a mock enemy with anti-aircraft
missile weapons and artillery," it said in a statement.
Russia has previously warned Western countries against sending warships
to the Black Sea and approaching the coast of Crimea, the peninsula it
annexed from Ukraine in 2014. Russia considers Crimea part of its
territory, but the peninsula is internationally recognised as part of
Ukraine.
The U.S. Navy said on Monday that the USS Mount Whitney had arrived in
Istanbul and that it would soon join forces with other ships in the
Black Sea.
"Following this port visit, Mount Whitney will join USS Porter (DDG 78)
in the Black Sea to further enhance collaboration between U.S. and NATO
forces at sea," the U.S. Navy said in a statement.
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The Kremlin on Tuesday rejected as a "low-quality
fake" a U.S. media report about a Russian military buildup near
Ukraine, although it said it was up to Moscow where it moved troops
around on its territory.
The Politico news outlet reported that commercial satellite photos
taken on Monday confirmed recent reports that Russia is once again
massing troops and military equipment on the border with Ukraine
after a major buildup this spring.
Ukraine said on Monday it had not observed any increase in Russian
troops or equipment near the border.
A NATO official said: "NATO is vigilant and routinely monitors
Russian force movements. It’s important to ensure transparency and
avoid any miscalculation."
Russia has repeatedly accused NATO of carrying out provocative
activities close to its borders. The alliance says it is determined
to reinforce the security of member states close to Russia following
Moscow's annexation of Crimea and its backing for pro-Russian rebels
in eastern Ukraine.
(Additional reporting by Dmitry Antonov; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)
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