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US setting up multinational group of forces close to Russian border — top brass

As it was explained, the US warships have arrived to take part in multinational drills that the US European Command is holding in the Black Sea region

Russian Defense Ministry Mikhail Tereshchenko/TASS

Russian Defense Ministry

© Mikhail Tereshchenko/TASS

MOSCOW, November 9. /TASS/. The United States is setting up a multinational group of armed forces close to the Russian border, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on Tuesday.

Currently, the US Navy’s guided missile destroyer Porter, tanker John Lenthall and command ship Mount Whitney are deployed to the Black Sea. Two US Air Force B-1B long-range strategic bombers performed flights over the Black Sea at a distance of 100 km from the Russian state border, the ministry said.

"These are unscheduled moves by the US military that is setting up a multinational group of armed forces in close proximity to the Russian border," the Defense Ministry stressed.

As the Russian Defense Ministry explained, the US warships have arrived to take part in multinational drills that the US European Command is holding in the Black Sea region.

Such moves are a destabilizing factor in the region and, in particular, pursue the goal of the military exploitation of Ukrainian territory, the ministry stressed.

"Considering that in addition to the US Navy, the drills will involve tactical, patrol and strategic aircraft, and also the contingents of the armed forces of Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, Turkey and Ukraine, this is evidence of an attempt to study the prospective theater of military operations in case that Kiev prepares a use-of-force scenario in the southeast," the statement says.

The Russian armed forces are continuously and closely following the situation. The Russian Black Sea Fleet is carrying out a set of measures to track the US warships’ deployments in the Black Sea, the ministry said.

"Currently, the destroyer Porter and the command ship Mount Whitney are in the port of Batumi (Georgia) and the tanker John Lenthall is in the southwestern part of the Black Sea," the statement says.

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