US destroyer arrives in tense Black Sea region as Russia watches closely
With Istanbul in the background, the USS Donald Cook heads for the Black Sea.
By SCOTT WYLAND | STARS AND STRIPES Published: January 22, 2019
The destroyer USS Donald Cook has arrived for a port visit in the Black Sea nation of Georgia, as Russia monitors the ship’s movements at a time of heightened tensions in the region.
The ship docked Monday at Batumi on the sea’s eastern coast after transiting the Dardanelles Strait on Saturday, the Navy said in a statement.
The destroyer’s visit to Georgia and the Black Sea follows the Russian seizure of three Ukrainian vessels and arrest of 24 sailors in late November at the Kerch Strait, a move condemned by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and much of the West.
https://www.stripes.com/news/us-destroyer-arrives-in-tense-black-sea-region-as-russia-watches-closely-1.565490
