Just days after the incident involving a British warship in the Black Sea, the US and its allies are holding a major military exercise in the area.
A provocation, thinks Moscow.
Odessa - Despite clear criticism from Russia, the annual sea maneuver "Sea Breeze" has begun in the southern Ukrainian port city of Odessa.
The Ukrainian Navy posted a video of the opening of the military exercise on Facebook on Monday.
Over the next two weeks, soldiers and sailors from Ukraine, the USA and almost 30 other countries will train in the northwestern Black Sea.
The Bundeswehr is not involved.
Russia sees the maneuver not far from the Crimea peninsula, which was annexed in 2014, as a provocation and had already called on the USA in advance to refrain from it.
It was said from Moscow that events would be followed closely and, if necessary, they would react “appropriately”.
The Russian Navy was already monitoring the US destroyer "USS Ross" on Saturday when it entered the Black Sea.
According to US data, around 5,000 soldiers, around 30 ships and 40 aircraft and helicopters are involved in the military exercise.
Among other things, landing operations and air defense are trained.
According to the US Navy, this year's Black Sea exercise, which has been held regularly since 1997, is the largest of its kind to date.
The Ukrainian fleet chief Olexij Nejischapa interpreted the maneuver as a sign that “Ukraine is supported by the whole civilized world”.
It is an expression of the "support for stability and peace in our region".
Russia, on the other hand, fears, among other things, that some of the weapons could remain in Ukraine after the exercise is over and therefore called on the USA to make the troop withdrawal transparent.
The foreign policy spokesman for the left-wing faction, Gregor Gysi, described the military exercise as a provocation against Russia.
Gysi told the news radio MDR Aktuell that NATO wanted to show its willingness to provide military support to Ukraine in the event of an attack.
In this way one could not achieve a constructive relationship with Moscow.
Most recently, tensions in the sea area around the Crimea had increased, near which Moscow had large sections closed to military ships from other countries until October.
A British warship drove into the sea area claimed by Russia and was displaced with warning shots and bombs.
British media reports support this information in part, but stress that the ship has stayed on course.
The tone between Moscow and Western states has become even sharper since the spring.
In April, Russian and Ukrainian troop marches along the conflict zone in eastern Ukraine raised concerns that the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, which had been going on for almost years, could escalate again.
For about seven years, parts of the eastern Ukrainian areas of Donetsk and Luhansk along the Russian border have been controlled by insurgents loyal to Moscow.
According to UN estimates, more than 13,000 people have been killed since the conflict began in 2014.
A peace plan agreed in 2015 with German and French participation is on hold.
dpa
