MOSCOW, August 13. /TASS/. The Russian Black Sea Fleet’s forces and resources are sufficient to track the movements of the US guided-missile destroyer Carney that has entered the Black Sea, former Fleet Commander (1998-2002) Admiral Komoyedov told TASS on Monday.
"In principle, the forces and resources based in Crimea and on the Black Sea coast are sufficient for us to monitor the situation in the entire Black Sea region and we can track the movements of these destroyers without enlisting the help of a large amount of forces of the Mediterranean taskforce," the ex-Fleet commander said.
"Our combat capabilities cover the entire Black Sea both along and across it and so I don’t think there should be any worry about the Americans’ presence in the Black Sea," the admiral said.
This is not the first time that US warships appear in the Black Sea region and the Russian Navy has already developed a special set of measures in this case, the ex-Black Sea Fleet commander said.
"We react quite worthily to their stay in the Black Sea. This is also demonstrated by our reaction to the use of their aircraft and surveillance ships," the admiral noted.
Under an international treaty, warships of any non-Black Sea country are allowed to stay in the region for no more than 21 days, he said. Meanwhile, the Americans have "two points of contact" with the Black Sea region: the Sea Breeze international naval exercises with Ukraine and the joint drills with Georgia, the admiral said.
As was reported earlier, the US Navy’s guided-missile destroyer Carney armed with the Aegis ballistic missile system entered the Black Sea on Sunday. According to the US Navy’s statement, the missile destroyer entered the Black Sea "to conduct maritime security operations and enhance capability and interoperability with allies and partners in the region."