Ukraine, US ships conduct joint exercises near Odesa

Grigory Kuropyatnikov, the flagship of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, and United States Coast Guard’s Hamilton ship practiced joint exercises at sea for two days.

"According to the plan of the exercises, the interaction of two border ships with the involvement of Starobilsk Ukrainian Navy ship took place. The crews worked out the coordinated actions of the tactical group to stop provocations at sea and repel the attack from sky according to NATO standards," the press service of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine reports.

As noted, Russian ships traditionally observed all the elements of the exercises: practicing complex elements of maneuvering, evading air attack, and organizing the anti-sabotage defense of the ship.

"Border guard ships and ships of the Black Sea Fleet observed and created additional complications for maneuvers, namely announced the sudden closure of areas for navigation, created a navigational hazard, and traditionally left unanswered requests for compliance with international safe navigation standards," reads the statement.

On May 8, the flagship of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine met the US Coast Guard’s Hamilton ship more than 100 nautical miles of Odesa city. At the same time, three Russian ships carried out dangerous maneuvers and created obstacles nearby.

An American ship is scheduled to visit the port of Odesa on May 10.

Photo credit: State Border Guard Service of Ukraine

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