Ukraine, US Launch Black Sea Drills After Warship Incident

The drills come simply days after the British military's HMS Defender handed close to Russian-annexed Crimea withinside the Black Sea, with Moscow announcing it fired caution photographs on the destroyer to ward it off.

Kiev: Ukraine and the US released joint naval sporting events withinside the Black Sea on Monday in a display of Western cooperation with Kiev because it faces off with Russia.

The drills come simply days after the British military's HMS Defender handed close to Russian-annexed Crimea withinside the Black Sea, with Moscow announcing it fired caution photographs on the destroyer to ward it off.

The Sea Breeze drills -- that have taken region 21 instances given that 1997 -- will contain a few 5,000 army employees from greater than 30 international locations.

The sporting events will ultimate  weeks and contain round 30 ships, such as the missile destroyer USS Ross.

Ukrainian military commander Oleksiy Neizhpapa stated for the duration of a gap rite in Odessa that the sporting events could ship a "effective message to keep balance and peace in our region."

Russia stated it fired caution photographs ultimate Wednesday on the HMS Defender after what it stated became a contravention of its territorial waters.

Britain stated it became making "an harmless passage via Ukrainian territorial waters according with global law."

Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and claims the waters across the peninsula as a part of its territory. Most international locations do now no longer recognize the takeover and stand at the back of Ukraine's claims to the waters.

Washington is a key best friend of Kiev in its warfare with Moscow over Crimea and pro-Moscow separatist areas in jap Ukraine..