The U.S. Navy in Europe issued a Coast Guard Hamilton-class patrol ship is heading to the Black Sea waters, Russia announced on the 27th will be in the waters of the naval live-fire combat exercises.
The Russian Defense Ministry was quoted by the Russian News Agency (RIA) on the evening of the 27th as saying that the Hamilton-class patrol ship had entered the Black Sea and was being tracked by the Russian fleet.
The statement came just hours after the U.S. Navy in Europe said the Hamilton-class cruiser was headed to the Black Sea to work with North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies and partners in the area.
Russia’s Black Sea Fleet said on the 27th that its Glory-class missile cruiser Moskva will conduct live-fire exercises in conjunction with other ships and military helicopters, Interfax reported.
Moscow authorities have increased troops on the border with Ukraine in recent weeks, causing fear and anxiety in Ukraine and the West. Russia says the troop increase on the border near Ukraine is part of an exercise to counter threatening NATO behavior.
However, Russia ordered the withdrawal of some of its troops last week, and on the 27th, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu claimed that Russia was not under external pressure to withdraw its troops, adding that Moscow authorities were moving defense around its territory as appropriate.
The Ukrainian authorities and the West believe that it is too early to assess the Russian troop reduction. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy even said, “We cannot guarantee 100 percent that Russian troops will not turn around.”
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