Contents tagged with Black Sea

  • US guided-missile destroyer is en route to Odessa, Ukraine

    On February 19, the U.S. guided-missile destroyer USS Donald Cook (DDG 75) entered the Black Sea. On February 25, it is planned to arrive at the port of Odessa.

    The U.S. Sixth Fleet Command reports that the U.S. Navy’s missile destroyer USS Donald Cook (DD G75) arrived to "conduct maritime security operations and enhance stability in the region."

    According to Dumskaya, this ship will take part in joint exercises with the NATO allies’ ships. Ukrainian ships will also take part in these …

  • Kyiv requests a separate package of NATO assistance for Ukraine's Navy

    Ukraine's Permanent Representative to NATO Vadym Prystaiko said that Kyiv has asked NATO to arrange for a separate assistance package for the Naval Forces of Ukraine, the Evropeiska Pravda reported. 

    “We have the so-called Assistance Package, which includes different mechanisms, in particular, trust funds. One of the ideas is that the assistance to our Navy be allocated from one package, in order to to identify the needs and support opportunities so that each country to find its own niche,” …

  • Russia: joint US-Ukraine military exercises in the Black Sea 'a dangerous idea'

    Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin stated that Russia considers the joint exercises “Sea Breeze” which are held by Ukraine and the United States to be dangerous.

    “A dangerous idea. This is exactly how we will treat it. We perceive this idea as dangerous,” said Karasin as quoted by RIA Novosti.

    The Sea Breeze exercises have been held by Ukraine and the United States on the territory of Ukraine since 1997.

    On February 11th, the press service of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense  …

  • Stoltenberg: NATO intends to increase military presence in the Black Sea

    During a briefing with Russian media, the NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg stated that NATO intends to increase its military presence in the Black Sea in response to “Russia’s violation of international norms.”

    According to him, Moscow’s construction of a bridge over the Kerch Strait does not meet international laws since Russia’s control over Crimea was established illegally. “The unlawful detention of Ukrainian sailors [in November 2018] and seizing of ships increased our concerns …

  • Ukraine strengthens control over the Black Sea

    On Monday, February 11th, the State Border Service reported that the Ukrainian Marine Guard strengthened control over the government border on the Black Sea. 

    Over the course of the week, the naval guard ships accompanied foreign vessels from the entrance of the territorial waters of Ukraine to the ports of destination. 

    “This practice allows strengthening measures to prevent attempts at an illegal approach to the small vessels and other illegal actions in the territorial waters of Ukraine,” …

  • German warship to enter Black Sea for NATO mission

    The Werra, a replenishment ship belonging to the German Navy, will travel to the Black Sea in February as part of a permanent NATO anti-mine group. The naval vessel will visit two Bulgarian ports, Burgas and Varna,  Deutsche Welle reports citing a spokesperson for Germany’s Defense Ministry.

    According to the source, the transfer has been planned for a long time. “There is no plan to deploy other German naval vessels in the Black Sea,” the spokesperson noted.

    After Russian special forces  …

  • Kyiv: Germany is ready to send warships to the Black Sea

    During a meeting with the Ukrainian Deputy Minister of Defense, Anatoliy Petrenko, representatives of the German government assured their readiness to support Ukraine and to send German warships to the Black Sea region to deter Russian aggression. 

    The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry’s press service reports that the Ukrainian delegation in Germany discussed the Ukrainian security question with the Commissioner for Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia, German Foreign Minister Michael Siebert …

  • Stoltenberg: NATO and Georgia are concerned about Russia’s military buildup in the Black Sea

    NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated at a press conference with the Georgian President Salomé Zourabichvili that the North Atlantic Alliance and Georgia are concerned about Russia’s military buildup in the Black Sea region. 

    "We are stepping up our cooperation at sea, including training for Georgian Coast Guard boarding teams, more cooperation between Georgian and NATO naval forces and cooperation between Georgia’s Joint Maritime Operations Centre and NATO’s Maritime Command,” …

  • Kyiv: Ships that caught fire in Kerch Strait were used for illegal gas shipments to Syria

    The gas tankers Maestro and Venice, which caught fire near the Kerch Strait, have been involved in illegal gas shipments to Syria since 2016, Ukraine’s Ministry of Temporarily Occupied Territories reported, citing information from the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

    “According to the US Treasury Department’s OFAC, the ships Venice and Maestro have been involved in illegal gas shipments to Syria since 2016,” the statement reads.

    According to international monitoring systems, the …

  • Russian military say they are monitoring USS Donald Cook in the Black Sea

    The Russian military stated that they are monitoring the presence of USS Donald Cook in the Black Sea, reported the National Defense Management Center of Russia on January 19. 

    “Forces of the Black Sea Fleet started monitoring the US Navy’s guided missile destroyer USS Donald Cook right after it entered the waters of the Black Sea,” Interfax cites the center as saying. The US naval destroyer is currently being followed by the Pytlivy, a Russian Black Sea Fleet patrol vessel. 

    Russia stated …