The dock landing ship USS Oak Hill has entered the Black Sea, joining another American warship there, the Ukrainian media reported on Friday.
The report comes a day after the US Navy said in a press release that the Oak Hill had kicked off “its northbound transit into the Black Sea […] to conduct maritime security operations and strengthen relationships with regional partners and allies”.
#USSOakHill began its northbound transit into the #BlackSea June 18, to strengthen relationships with regional partners and allies. Oak Hill will join #USSPorter in a combined patrol!
— U.S. Navy (@USNavy) June 18, 2020
Details: ⬇️ https://t.co/gQ38LhS7Zw pic.twitter.com/z6bXktM8X2
The Navy added that the vessel was due to join the guided-missile destroyer USS Porter, which also entered the Black Sea earlier this week.
According to the press release, the Oak Hill mission “introduces the Navy-Marine Corps team’s dynamic ship-to-shore capability and crisis response capability to the Black Sea for the first time this year, providing additional mission flexibility for U.S. 6th Fleet commanders in our continued efforts to reinforce security and stability in the region”.
Russian Military Monitoring US Warship’s Black Sea Mission
This came as Russia's National Defence Control Centre (NDCC) said in a statement on Wednesday that on 17 June, the USS Porter had entered the Black Sea and that a set of measures is being taken by forces and means of the Russian Southern Military District to monitor the actions of the American warship, in order to promptly respond to possible emergency situations in the Black Sea.
The statement followed the Russian Defence Ministry saying earlier in June that they had scrambled fighter jets to intercept US Air Force B-1B strategic bombers which were earlier spotted over the Black and Baltic seas.
US Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa (USAFE) commander Gen. Jeff Harrigian, for his part, said that the B-1Bs drilled Polish, Romanian, Greek, and Ukrainian fighter jets, in a mission that reflects “commitment to our allies and partners all while providing a clear deterrence message to any adversary”.
Moscow has repeatedly urged the US and NATO to reduce their routine patrols near Russia's borders in the Black and Baltic seas, as well as Russia's bases in Syria, warning of the dangers of unintended escalation and indicating that such patrols may deteriorate relations between the sides.
The North Atlantic alliance, however, ignores Moscow’s concerns, carrying out repeated large-scale fighter and bomber drills near Russia’s borders and regularly probing its air defences with spy planes and drones.
