NATO naval drills start in Black Sea
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 10 March 2015 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, NATO naval drills start in Black Sea, 10 March 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/552f9d4731.html [accessed 19 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
March 10, 2015
Seven NATO members started a naval exercise in the Black Sea on March 10.
The naval rapid reaction force in the drills comprises a U.S. flagship, the guided-missile cruiser USS Vicksburg, and ships from the six other participating states – Black Sea countries Turkey, Romania, and Bulgaria, plus Canada, Germany, and Italy.
NATO has held a series of exercises in eastern Europe, aimed in part to reassure members concerned about Russian intentions following Moscow's annexation of the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea in March 2014 and its moves in support of separatists fighting government forces in eastern Ukraine.
A Bulgarian navy spokesman said the training would include simulated antiair and antisubmarine warfare exercises, as well as simulated small boat attacks and basic ship handling maneuvers.
Last week, the defense ministry in Moscow said it had begun large-scale military exercises in southern Russia and in disputed territories including Crimea and Abkhazia, a breakaway, Moscow-backed region of Georgia on the Black Sea.
Based on reporting by Reuters, digi24.com
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
