According to the russian media outlet, the jets launched from Novo Fedorka an
air base in western Crimea Peninsula 70
kilometers north of sevastopol have been
monitoring the movements of two ships, the American USS Vicksburg, a Ticonderoga-Class guided missile cruiser
and Turkey's Frigate the target reese. A formation made of three Su-30s and
four Su-24s overflew the NATO ships to
practice penetrating anti-air systems, as
affirmed by a source at the sevastopol
naval base who spoke to the russian
state agency.
Interestingly the russians believe these
missions are used for training purposes
by both sides. These ships crews are doubtlessly
conducting exercises in repelling air
attacks from our planes which gives our
pilots the opportunity to gain
experience in maneuvering and conducting
aerial reconnaissance both in the range
of anti-air systems and outside their
range.
Close encounters between russian planes
and NATO ships around the globe happen
quite frequently. They have just become a
bit more frequent in the black sea since
last year's russian annexation of crimea. Following the invasion of the peninsula, Moscow has moved combat planes to the
local air bases and some of them pay
visit to the nato frigates in the
vicinity every now and then.
A Su-24 fencer flew multiple passes at
500 feet above sea level within 1,000
yards of the USS Donald Cook. The u.s
navy destroyer operating in the black
sea at that time. A behavior that the
ship commander considered provocative
and inconsistent with international
agreements. Anyway according to a source at the
russia's chief naval staff quoted by
tass, the two NATO warships will be
joined in the next few hours by the Italian Frigate Alicio and Canada's Frigate the fredericton which are
passing through the black sea straits.
A russian warplane conducted a low pass
near the USS Donald Cook on sunday in
the black sea where the navy has
dispatched three ships for exercises. The Sukhoi Su-24 fighter bomber screeched
past the u.s destroyer while it was
operating in international waters, the
u.s navy's sixth fleet said in a
statement.
The navy said it operates in the black
sea to reassure allies in the region and
ensure security and stability. USS Donald Cook is operating alongside
the destroyer uss porter and usns
laramie which is refueling the warships
during operations. Refueling at sea is fundamental for the
navy but doing it in the black sea is a
new operational model in a new year, said Cmdr.
Matt Kernan USS Donald Cook's commander
taking fuel at sea is the most concrete
way for us to sustain independent
operations. the arrival of three navy ships in the
black sea could signal that the service
intends to bolster its presence there
this year. nato has emphasized maintaining a
presence in the region which includes
the crimean peninsula annexed by force
by russia in 2014.
But the time key allies operated their
last year declined compared to 2019, a
security analyst with the heritage
foundation a Washington think tank said
last week. 4 a navy P-8A aircraft also was taking
part in drills with the vessels in
recent days. But more navy ships and planes in the
black sea can also mean additional
attention from russian forces who
routinely track their movements.
The navy didn't immediately lodge any
formal public complaints against the
russians for the Su-24s low pass, though
the service has criticized some russian
actions in the region in recent years. In august a USB-52 bomber's maneuvers
above the black sea were restricted by
two russian fighter planes that flew in
an unsafe and unprofessional manner, when
they crossed within 100 feet of the air
force's long-range bomber, the military
said at the time.
In april and may the u.s accused russia
of multiple unsafe intercepts involving
fighters flying as close as 25 feet from
a navy P-8A Poseidon reconnaissance
aircraft over the eastern mediterranean. russia has also lodged complaints about
u.s operations near its borders.
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