Alwaght- A Senior Russian legislator has censured presence of a US warship in the Black Sea as provocative.
On Saturday, the USS Carney, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, joined another American vessel, the USS Ross, in the waters of the Black Sea, ostensibly to conduct “security operations.”
In response to this military presence, Yury Shvytkin, the deputy head of the Russian State Duma Defense Committee, called the move a provocation.
“The US is seeking a reaction to its provocative behavior, which could serve as an excuse for more serious action on the part of the Americans and their allies,” Shvytkin told RT in an interview. “Who are they going to protect and from whom? The Americans are aggravating the situation. Already there are two American ships in the area. Of course, these events can only alarm us.”
This latest development comes days after a Russian Su-27 jet forced an American Lockheed EP-3 spying plane to abort its mission over the Black Sea. Moscow said the jet “took all necessary precautions,” while the Pentagon accused it of an “unsafe” intercept.
“The entire flight of the Su-27 was conducted in accordance with international regulations, and there were no emergency situations,” the Russian Ministry of Defense said in a statement.
Moscow said that the plane was scrambled when as unidentified flying object was detected heading for the Russian border.