US warships went on another mission to a European hotspot, and Putin says they're in Russia's 'crosshairs'
USS Mount Whitney with Romanian frigate Marasesti in the Black Sea, November 12, 2021. US Naval Forces Europe-Africa
In early November, US Navy ships, including the Sixth Fleet's flagships, returned to the Black Sea. The visit is a sign of the US's increasing focus on the region, where NATO forces are spending more time.
The increased military activity reflects the sea's strategic value amid tensions between NATO and Russia.
On November 12, the flagship of the US Navy's Sixth Fleet, USS Mount Whitney, and Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Porter arrived at the Black Sea port of Constanta in Romania after visiting Batumi, Georgia.
The US warships were operating with NATO allies and partners in the Black Sea, according to the US European Command, and their deployment followed soon after US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visited the region.
Russia was incensed by that activity.
In a meeting with Russian military leadership, President Vladimir Putin seemed to threaten the US warships, saying Russian forces "can catch a glimpse" of USS Mount Whitney "through binoculars or through the crosshairs of matching defense systems."
The Black Sea is in a strategic location, connecting the Caucasus with Europe along Russia's southwestern flank. It contains some of Russia's only warm-water ports and provides Russia access to the Mediterranean and the waters beyond.
The sea features prominently in Russian defense and security architecture because supremacy there is seen as vital for Russian security and for supporting power projection far from Russian shores. It also allows Moscow to challenge NATO.
The region "is the locus of the Kremlin's tests against alliance credibility and resolve, which have escalated over the last two decades in the conventional and nonconventional domain," Alina Polyakova, president of the Center for European Policy Analysis, a think-tank, said in October at a Senate hearing.
Those tests include close encounters with NATO forces at sea and in the air as well as attacks on Ukraine and Georgia, which are NATO partners seeking full membership.
NATO has stepped up its presence in the Black Sea — as shown by Austin's visit and the Sixth Fleet's exercises — but limitations of geography and international law mean countering Russia there is not a straightforward effort. A Russian lake
USS Porter and other ships transit the Black Sea behind amphibious dock landing ship USS Oak Hill, June 19, 2020. US Navy/MC3 Griffin Kersting
Romania has a navy of three frigates, seven corvettes, a handful of auxiliary boats, and an old Kilo-class submarine. Bulgaria does not fare much better, with four frigates, three corvettes, and a few support ships, most of them minesweepers.
Turkey has a sizable and capable navy, but its warming relationship with Russia and its estrangement with NATO have raised doubts about its commitment to the alliance.
Ukraine is rebuilding its naval force after the loss of Crimea, and Georgia, the smallest Black Sea state, has only a coast guard.
In a clash with Russia, those countries would likely seek outside help, but there are limits on what outside countries can do.
The Montreux Convention of 1936 restricts what kind of ships and how many ships non-Black Sea countries can send into the sea. It also limits their stay to 21 days, and Turkey must be given advanced warning of any transit into or out of the sea.
Those limits benefit Russia and hinder what the US can do. Only three of the US Navy's Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are allowed to be in the Black Sea at one time. But an Arleigh Burke is a powerful platform. Each can carry 56 Tomahawk missiles, which have roughly the same range as the Kalibr.
While two Arleigh Burkes could match the Black Sea Fleet's Kalibr complement, Russia watches their movements closely.
Adapting to a new landscape
In early November, US Navy ships, including the Sixth Fleet's flagships, returned to the Black Sea. The visit is a sign of the US's increasing focus on the region, where NATO forces are spending more time.
The increased military activity reflects the sea's strategic value amid tensions between NATO and Russia.
On November 12, the flagship of the US Navy's Sixth Fleet, USS Mount Whitney, and Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Porter arrived at the Black Sea port of Constanta in Romania after visiting Batumi, Georgia.
The US warships were operating with NATO allies and partners in the Black Sea, according to the US European Command, and their deployment followed soon after US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visited the region.
Russia was incensed by that activity.
In a meeting with Russian military leadership, President Vladimir Putin seemed to threaten the US warships, saying Russian forces "can catch a glimpse" of USS Mount Whitney "through binoculars or through the crosshairs of matching defense systems."
Putin's comments come amid heightened tensions between Russia and NATO. Seven years after Russia's seizure of Crimea and with tensions simmering elsewhere in Eastern Europe, the Black Sea remains a hotspot — and it may heat up. Transcontinental nexus
The sea features prominently in Russian defense and security architecture because supremacy there is seen as vital for Russian security and for supporting power projection far from Russian shores. It also allows Moscow to challenge NATO.
The region "is the locus of the Kremlin's tests against alliance credibility and resolve, which have escalated over the last two decades in the conventional and nonconventional domain," Alina Polyakova, president of the Center for European Policy Analysis, a think-tank, said in October at a Senate hearing.
Those tests include close encounters with NATO forces at sea and in the air as well as attacks on Ukraine and Georgia, which are NATO partners seeking full membership.
NATO has stepped up its presence in the Black Sea — as shown by Austin's visit and the Sixth Fleet's exercises — but limitations of geography and international law mean countering Russia there is not a straightforward effort. A Russian lake
President Vladimir Putin inspects anti-submarine warfare ship Vice-Admiral Kulakov in the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk,
After the Soviet collapse, Russia's Black Sea Fleet fell into obsolescence.
With Russia's 2008 military reforms and its 2011-2020 State Armament Program, the Black Sea Fleet became a lighter, more agile force able to operate in near-shore areas and surrounding waters.
The fleet's main elements are three Admiral Grigorovich-class guided-missile frigates built after the 2014 Crimean crisis, two Krivak-class guided-missile frigates, and its flagship, Slava-class guided-missile cruiser Moskva. It also includes six new Improved Kilo-class diesel-electric attack submarines and an older Kilo-class sub.
Those ships are supported by a host of smaller and auxiliary vessels, including six guided-missile corvettes and five missile boats, underlining the fleet's littoral capabilities.
The fleet is complemented by the newly formed 22nd Army Corps, one air-defense and two aviation divisions based in Crimea, and one air-defense division based in Rostov-on-Don.
Moscow is also enhancing its anti-access/area-denial capabilities in the Black Sea, particularly around Crimea, to protect its warships and hold off rival forces. Adding to the fleet's ability to strike at distance are 108 Kalibr sea-launched cruise missiles, which have a maximum range of approximately 1,200 miles.
NATO's Black Sea members and partners are at a military disadvantage when compared to Russia.
After the Soviet collapse, Russia's Black Sea Fleet fell into obsolescence.
With Russia's 2008 military reforms and its 2011-2020 State Armament Program, the Black Sea Fleet became a lighter, more agile force able to operate in near-shore areas and surrounding waters.
The fleet's main elements are three Admiral Grigorovich-class guided-missile frigates built after the 2014 Crimean crisis, two Krivak-class guided-missile frigates, and its flagship, Slava-class guided-missile cruiser Moskva. It also includes six new Improved Kilo-class diesel-electric attack submarines and an older Kilo-class sub.
Those ships are supported by a host of smaller and auxiliary vessels, including six guided-missile corvettes and five missile boats, underlining the fleet's littoral capabilities.
The fleet is complemented by the newly formed 22nd Army Corps, one air-defense and two aviation divisions based in Crimea, and one air-defense division based in Rostov-on-Don.
Moscow is also enhancing its anti-access/area-denial capabilities in the Black Sea, particularly around Crimea, to protect its warships and hold off rival forces. Adding to the fleet's ability to strike at distance are 108 Kalibr sea-launched cruise missiles, which have a maximum range of approximately 1,200 miles.
NATO's Black Sea members and partners are at a military disadvantage when compared to Russia.
Romania has a navy of three frigates, seven corvettes, a handful of auxiliary boats, and an old Kilo-class submarine. Bulgaria does not fare much better, with four frigates, three corvettes, and a few support ships, most of them minesweepers.
Turkey has a sizable and capable navy, but its warming relationship with Russia and its estrangement with NATO have raised doubts about its commitment to the alliance.
Ukraine is rebuilding its naval force after the loss of Crimea, and Georgia, the smallest Black Sea state, has only a coast guard.
In a clash with Russia, those countries would likely seek outside help, but there are limits on what outside countries can do.
The Montreux Convention of 1936 restricts what kind of ships and how many ships non-Black Sea countries can send into the sea. It also limits their stay to 21 days, and Turkey must be given advanced warning of any transit into or out of the sea.
Those limits benefit Russia and hinder what the US can do. Only three of the US Navy's Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are allowed to be in the Black Sea at one time. But an Arleigh Burke is a powerful platform. Each can carry 56 Tomahawk missiles, which have roughly the same range as the Kalibr.
While two Arleigh Burkes could match the Black Sea Fleet's Kalibr complement, Russia watches their movements closely.
Adapting to a new landscape
US Navy Sixth Fleet flagship USS Mount Whitney in Batumi, Georgia, November 2021. US Naval Forces Europe-Africa
Black Sea states, on their own and with NATO, are working to improve their ability to counter Russia, navigating the region's geographic and political constraints to do so.
Romania already hosts a land-based Aegis ballistic-defense missile system, and it's expanding other facilities to host more NATO troops. Bulgaria is working with the US to expand its military capabilities. Ukraine has taken a number of steps to modernize and expand its own military.
In the weeks since Austin's visit, officials in the region and US lawmakers have urged the Biden administration to do more to support countries there, including additional weapons sales and troop deployments. Others have advocated developing a clearer strategy for the region as a deterrent.
USS Mount Whitney began sailing out of the Black Sea on November 15, and USS Porter followed it out on November 16. Such deployments often raise Russian ire, but the US shows no sign of backing off, saying its presence there demonstrates "continued commitment to collective defense of the European region and reinforces the strength of the NATO alliance."
The footage shows Russian warships performing maneuvers at sea, with the Russian MoD saying that the exercises involved "about 60 surface warships, boats and support vessels, over 40 aircraft and helicopters, as well as up to 2,000 units of weapons, military and special equipment of the Baltic Fleet."
Black Sea states, on their own and with NATO, are working to improve their ability to counter Russia, navigating the region's geographic and political constraints to do so.
Romania already hosts a land-based Aegis ballistic-defense missile system, and it's expanding other facilities to host more NATO troops. Bulgaria is working with the US to expand its military capabilities. Ukraine has taken a number of steps to modernize and expand its own military.
In the weeks since Austin's visit, officials in the region and US lawmakers have urged the Biden administration to do more to support countries there, including additional weapons sales and troop deployments. Others have advocated developing a clearer strategy for the region as a deterrent.
USS Mount Whitney began sailing out of the Black Sea on November 15, and USS Porter followed it out on November 16. Such deployments often raise Russian ire, but the US shows no sign of backing off, saying its presence there demonstrates "continued commitment to collective defense of the European region and reinforces the strength of the NATO alliance."
The footage shows Russian warships performing maneuvers at sea, with the Russian MoD saying that the exercises involved "about 60 surface warships, boats and support vessels, over 40 aircraft and helicopters, as well as up to 2,000 units of weapons, military and special equipment of the Baltic Fleet."
The Baltic Fleet started exercises with the participation of about 60 warships in June 2022.MINISTRY OF DEFENSE OF RUSSIA/ZENGER The Russian MoD said in a statement on Thursday: "In the Baltic Sea and at the combat training ranges in the Kaliningrad region, a planned operational exercise with groups of the Baltic Fleet has started.
"As part of the exercise, naval tactical groups of the Baltic Fleet left their bases and deployed fleet groupings in designated areas."
The Russian MoD added that the vessels "will perform training tasks for the protection and defense of sea lanes and fleet bases."
The Baltic Sea is located in northern Europe. Technically an eastern arm of the Atlantic Ocean, it is ringed by NATO member states Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. It is also enclosed by Finland, Sweden and Russia. Finland and Sweden angered Russia when it submitted applications in February to join NATO amid heightened concern after Russia invaded Ukraine.
Russia quit the Council of the Baltic Sea States last month, accusing the organization of having become "an instrument of anti-Russian policy" and "increasingly bogged down in Russophobia and lies."
The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on May 17 that it was leaving the council, which is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, and is made up of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Sweden and the European Union.
The statement was issued at the same time German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced that Germany planned to increase its military ties with Sweden and Finland. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has, among others, also announced a rapprochement with Sweden and Finland, signing a security pact with both countries last month and announcing that the United Kingdom would "provide support" if the two nations were attacked.
Russian troops invaded Ukraine on February 24 in what the Kremlin is still calling a "special military operation." June 9 marks the 106th day of the campaign.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has reported that between February 24 and June 9, Russia had lost 31,700 personnel, 1,398 tanks, 3,438 armored fighting vehicles, 711 artillery units, 213 multiple launch rocket systems, 96 anti-aircraft systems, 212 planes, 178 helicopters, 2,421 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, 13 ships and boats, 562 drones, 53 special equipment units and 125 cruise missiles.
More than 1,000 Ukrainian troops captured in Mariupol have been transferred to Russia, according to Russian media.
Satellite imagery has shown significant damage in the key eastern Ukrainian city of Severodonetsk, where heavy fighting is ongoing.
The Ukrainian military said that Ukrainian positions had come under "intense fire" around Avdiivka, Novopavlivska, and Zaporizhzhia.
It added that siege operations were underway around Slovyansk and that Russia had also intensified its aircraft use around Bakhmut.
The United Kingdom and the United States are sending long-range missile systems to Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned of more attacks in Ukraine if the West sends long-range weapons.
Russian missiles struck Kyiv on Sunday in the first assault on the Ukrainian capital in weeks.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Russian attacks on the cities of Severodonetsk and Lysychansk have turned them into "dead cities." But he added that Ukrainian forces could still hold Severodonetsk despite being outnumbered.
This week, Russia's ambassador to the United Nations, Vassily Nebenzia, walked out of a Security Council meeting after his country was blamed by European Council president Charles Michel for triggering a global food crisis.
The European Parliament has adopted a resolution recommending that the European Union grant Ukraine the status of candidate country for EU membership. Some 438 members of the European Parliament voted in favor of the resolution, with 65 voting against and 94 abstaining.
Drone Strike On Black Sea Fleet Headquarters Likely A Sign Of What's To Come
Russia claims that its naval base at Sevastopol in Crimea came under a Ukrainian drone attack yesterday, leading to the cancelation of planned Navy Day events. The Ukrainian Armed Forces have not directly claimed responsibility for the strike, which targeted the headquarters of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. The much-touted armada has had major warship losses in the conflict, including as the result of Ukrainian actions.
"As part of the exercise, naval tactical groups of the Baltic Fleet left their bases and deployed fleet groupings in designated areas."
The Russian MoD added that the vessels "will perform training tasks for the protection and defense of sea lanes and fleet bases."
The Baltic Sea is located in northern Europe. Technically an eastern arm of the Atlantic Ocean, it is ringed by NATO member states Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. It is also enclosed by Finland, Sweden and Russia. Finland and Sweden angered Russia when it submitted applications in February to join NATO amid heightened concern after Russia invaded Ukraine.
Russia quit the Council of the Baltic Sea States last month, accusing the organization of having become "an instrument of anti-Russian policy" and "increasingly bogged down in Russophobia and lies."
The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on May 17 that it was leaving the council, which is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, and is made up of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Sweden and the European Union.
The statement was issued at the same time German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced that Germany planned to increase its military ties with Sweden and Finland. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has, among others, also announced a rapprochement with Sweden and Finland, signing a security pact with both countries last month and announcing that the United Kingdom would "provide support" if the two nations were attacked.
Russian troops invaded Ukraine on February 24 in what the Kremlin is still calling a "special military operation." June 9 marks the 106th day of the campaign.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has reported that between February 24 and June 9, Russia had lost 31,700 personnel, 1,398 tanks, 3,438 armored fighting vehicles, 711 artillery units, 213 multiple launch rocket systems, 96 anti-aircraft systems, 212 planes, 178 helicopters, 2,421 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, 13 ships and boats, 562 drones, 53 special equipment units and 125 cruise missiles.
More than 1,000 Ukrainian troops captured in Mariupol have been transferred to Russia, according to Russian media.
Satellite imagery has shown significant damage in the key eastern Ukrainian city of Severodonetsk, where heavy fighting is ongoing.
The Ukrainian military said that Ukrainian positions had come under "intense fire" around Avdiivka, Novopavlivska, and Zaporizhzhia.
It added that siege operations were underway around Slovyansk and that Russia had also intensified its aircraft use around Bakhmut.
The United Kingdom and the United States are sending long-range missile systems to Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned of more attacks in Ukraine if the West sends long-range weapons.
Russian missiles struck Kyiv on Sunday in the first assault on the Ukrainian capital in weeks.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Russian attacks on the cities of Severodonetsk and Lysychansk have turned them into "dead cities." But he added that Ukrainian forces could still hold Severodonetsk despite being outnumbered.
This week, Russia's ambassador to the United Nations, Vassily Nebenzia, walked out of a Security Council meeting after his country was blamed by European Council president Charles Michel for triggering a global food crisis.
The European Parliament has adopted a resolution recommending that the European Union grant Ukraine the status of candidate country for EU membership. Some 438 members of the European Parliament voted in favor of the resolution, with 65 voting against and 94 abstaining.
Drone Strike On Black Sea Fleet Headquarters Likely A Sign Of What's To Come
Russia claims that its naval base at Sevastopol in Crimea came under a Ukrainian drone attack yesterday, leading to the cancelation of planned Navy Day events. The Ukrainian Armed Forces have not directly claimed responsibility for the strike, which targeted the headquarters of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. The much-touted armada has had major warship losses in the conflict, including as the result of Ukrainian actions.
© Photo by STRINGER/AFP via Getty ImagesDrone Strike On Black Sea Fleet Headquarters Likely A Sign Of What's To Come
© Provided by The DriveRussian Navy and police members patrol in front of a headquarter of Russia's Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol, in Crimea on July 31, 2022. - Ukraine on July 31, 2022 denied carrying out a drone attack on the headquarters of the Russian Black Sea fleet in annexed Crimea, that Russian officials said wounded six personnel.
“Early this morning, [Ukraine] decided to spoil our Navy Day,” Mikhail Razvozhayev, the head of the local Russian administration in Sevastopol, posted to social media yesterday. “An unidentified object flew into the yard of the fleet headquarters. According to preliminary data, it was a drone.”
© Provided by The DriveRussian Navy and police members patrol in front of a headquarter of Russia's Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol, in Crimea on July 31, 2022. - Ukraine on July 31, 2022 denied carrying out a drone attack on the headquarters of the Russian Black Sea fleet in annexed Crimea, that Russian officials said wounded six personnel.
“Early this morning, [Ukraine] decided to spoil our Navy Day,” Mikhail Razvozhayev, the head of the local Russian administration in Sevastopol, posted to social media yesterday. “An unidentified object flew into the yard of the fleet headquarters. According to preliminary data, it was a drone.”
About 20 Russian navy vessels, including submarines, are in the Black Sea, the British Defense Ministry has said.
The US is working on a plan “to destroy the Black Sea Fleet” with powerful missiles in order to unblock Ukraine’s ports, according to a high-ranking Ukrainian official.
“The effective work of the Ukrainians on warships convinced (the US) to prepare a plan to unblock the ports,” Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs adviser Anton Geraschchenko tweeted Friday. “Deliveries of powerful anti-ship weapons (Harpoon and Naval Strike Missile with a range of 250-300 km) are being discussed.”
Geraschchenko’s saber-rattling tweet — notably written in Russian — followed an exclusive report by Reuters saying the White House is in the process of putting more advanced missiles in the hands of Ukrainians to defeat Russia’s naval blockade.
For the past two months, Ukraine has been unable to ship out grain and other agricultural products because of the blockade, raising the specter of catastrophic food shortages around the world, and especially the developing countries in Africa and Asia.
Kyiv has made no secret that it wants missiles that could push enemy ships away from its Black Sea ports.
About 20 Russian navy vessels, including submarines, are in the Black Sea, the British Defense Ministry has said.
Three US officials and two congressional sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Harpoon and the Naval Strike Missiles were being considered either for direct shipment to Ukraine, or through a transfer from a European ally.
Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs adviser Anton Gerashchenko tweeted Friday that the US is working on a plan to send Ukraine high-powered missiles to destroy Russian navy ships.Twitter / Anton Gerashchenko
But current and former US officials have raised concerns about the prospect of supplying Ukraine with longer-range and more powerful weapons, including extensive training requirements, maintenance issues, and concerns that the high-powered missiles could be captured by Russian forces.
The Naval Strike Missile can be launched from the coast and has a range of 250 km, or 155 miles. It takes less than 14 days to learn how to use it.
The Boeing-made Harpoon poses more challenges, because it is mostly a sea-based system and there are not enough platforms to launch the missiles from shore.
Two US officials said one solution to this problem could be pulling a launcher off a US ship and giving it to the Ukrainians.
Beyond the logistical challenges, one unnamed official told Reuters that no one wants to be the first nation the send the missiles to Russia for fear of retaliation if a ship is sunk by one of its Harpoon missiles.
The Russian Navy’s vessels are seen near the Black Sea port of Sevastopol, Crimea.REUTERS/Alexey Pavlishak
Despite the possible reservations, the US official said one unnamed “well stocked” nation is already considering sending the missiles to Ukraine, and others might follow.
Russia has already lost vessels at sea, most notably its Black Sea fleet flagship, the cruiser Moskva, of Snake Island fame, which was sunk in April.
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