Russian ships are keeping a close eye on NATO, whose three frigates recently crossed into the Black Sea, preparing to sail near Crimea and conduct a joint naval drill with Ukraine and Georgia.

The large patrol ship ‘Vasily Bykov,’ along with surveillance ship ‘Ivan Khurs,’ both of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, are closely tracking the movement of NATO vessels in the area, the Defense Ministry said.

The photos and videos from Turkey had earlier showed three NATO frigates passing through the Bosporus Strait and entering the Black Sea on Thursday. The ships – Canadian HMCS ‘Toronto,’ Spain’s ‘Santa Maria,’ and Dutch HNLMS ‘Evertsen’ – are set to visit the Ukrainian port of Odessa, near Russia’s Crimea. They are later scheduled to participate in the ‘Sea Shield 19’ naval drill, together with ships from Ukraine and Georgia.

NATO'ya bağlı 3 savaş gemisi İstanbul Boğazından peş peşe geçiş yaptı. Boğaz geçişini tamamlayan gemiler Karadeniz'e açıldı. Gemilerin geçişine sahil güvenlik botları da eşlik etti. pic.twitter.com/gujkqnSquf — Demirören Haber Ajansı (@dhainternet) 28 марта 2019 г.

Halifax class @RCN_MRC frigate HMCS Toronto transited Bosphorus & entered the Black Sea. @HMCS_NCSM_TOR will participate naval exercise #SeaShield and increase interoperability with Ukrainian & Georgian partners. @HarjitSajjanpic.twitter.com/3pIZdZeT3g — Yörük Işık (@YorukIsik) 28 марта 2019 г.

#SNMG2 enters the Black Sea: Armada_esp ‘s contribution to @NATO@SNMG_2 Santa Maria class ESPS Santa Maria F81 transited Bosphorus towards the Black Sea 🇹🇷🇪🇸🇳🇱🇨🇦 pic.twitter.com/kKaTJoMBTS — Yörük Işık (@YorukIsik) 28 марта 2019 г.

NATO has stepped up its posturing in the Black Sea in recent years. In January, Washington dispatched destroyer USS ‘Donald Cook’ to spend more than a week in the region, training with the Georgian Navy. A month later, the ship paid a visit to Ukraine, docking in Odessa.

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