Senior Russian MP slams US decision to send warship to Black Sea as a provocation

The US decision to send the 6th Fleet’s flagship to the Black Sea for operations with NATO forces is a provocation, Head of the State Duma Committee on Defense Andrei Kartapolov said on Monday.

“I believe that such actions as sending the US 6th Fleet’s flagship, command ship Mount Whitney to the Black Sea are outright provocative and clearly destructive. This is yet another destabilizing factor in the region,” the senior Russian lawmaker said, as quoted by the press office of the State Duma Committee on Defense for TASS.

***

The US 6th Fleet announced on its Twitter on Monday that its flagship, command ship Mount Whitney was heading for the Black Sea for joint operations with NATO forces. On October 30, the US guided missile destroyer Porter entered the Black Sea for joint operations with the alliance’s forces.

====

US sends command ship to Black Sea for operations with NATO

The USS Mount Whitney flagship command ship went to the Black Sea for joint operations with NATO, the US Sixth Fleet stated on its Twitter page on Monday.

“The Sixth Fleet flagship USS Mount Whitney has begun its northbound transit to the Black Sea to operate with our NATO allies and partners in the region,” the statement reads.

Earlier, the Sixth Fleet reported about the US plans to send a command ship with officers of the fleet headquarters and the Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO on board into the Black Sea. The date of the departure has not been specified.