NATO has started the Sea Breeze exercises, which are held every year on the territory of Ukraine.
Officially, Sea Breeze is an annual multinational exercise, the format of which was determined by the Ukrainian-American agreement back in the 90s. In a nutshell: Washington pays for maneuvers, Kiev provides territory and water area.
Exercises by ships of the United States and other NATO countries near the Russian borders are a challenge in itself. Moreover, this year, due to the tense situation in the region, the Sea Breeze looks like a provocative step towards exacerbation.
A record number of participants - 32 countries, more than 30 ships, aviation and paratroopers. It is not hard to guess who is considered here as an enemy.
Last week, Russian diplomats urged the United States and its allies not to rehearse a war in the Black Sea, at least because such maneuvers could provoke an accidental incident.
Not to mention the fact that they only fuel the belligerent mood of Kiev. And some of the military equipment - this has been said more than once in Moscow - after the end of the exercises may generally remain in Ukraine.
This brings to mind the hysteria raised by the West in the spring around the Russian military exercises. Russia conducted them on its territory, but it was declared the aggressor.
What, then, to say about the American ships maneuvering right at the Russian borders? Or about a British destroyer who staged a provocation in Russian territorial waters off Cape Fiolent?
With regard to the Sea Breeze exercises, even before their start, the RF Ministry of Defense promised that it would closely follow the progress of the maneuvers.
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