Putin blocking hundreds of ships filled with wheat in the Black Sea: Von der Leyen

[ancianita]

35. Three NATO countries have coasts on the Black Sea, which is considered International Water.

Last edited Thu Mar 24, 2022, 07:30 PM - Edit history (1)

It's not as if defending against Russia's blockade is solely the US's responsibility. The US and other navies often conduct "freedom of navigation" monitoring on all the oceans and seas.

Not for nothing, Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey have navies, with at least 23 frigates, 23 corvettes and at least 15 submarines.


It looks like, since 2014, Russia has justified its aggressions on the Black Sea by claiming the US and Ukraine provocation.

The British warship was conducting a freedom-of-navigation exercise when it was harassed by Russian forces.



Lt. Cmdr. Matthew Comer, a spokesman for U.S. Sixth Fleet, would not comment on the incident. Regarding the rules and norms of warships sailing in the Black Sea, Comer said in an email that the “U.S. Navy always operates in accordance with international law and customs and expects others to operate in the same manner.”

The incident happened just days before the start of the annual Sea Breeze 2021 maritime exercise in the Black Sea, co-hosted by the United States and Ukraine. The exercise is meant to improve interoperability and capability among the 32 participating countries, including several Black Sea states, according to a Navy statement. It’s also about deterrence [US Army General Ben] Hodges

“The whole point is to not only improve capability but to demonstrate that the Black Sea is international water. It is not Russia's lake, it’s nobody's lake, it's international water. But you have to enforce that,” he said.

Russia will most likely send vessels and aircraft to approach or shadow the exercising forces, Hodges said, but he does not expect them to fire warning shots because there will be European nations participating that they would rather not antagonize.

Yet Wednesday’s incident might not be the end of the summer’s aggressive Russian behavior. The troops, ships, and equipment that they had near the Ukrainian border in April are still in the region, Hodges said, and they may be look for an opening to provoke Ukraine.

“I think that their reaction yesterday demonstrates a willingness to escalate more quickly than is necessary,” he said. “The Russians will stop only when they are stopped…They only respect strength and they despise weakness.”

https://www.defenseone.com/threats/2021/06/black-sea-incident-shows-russias-determination-claim-waters-illegally/174959/