Russian military monitors US missile destroyer in Black Sea

Russia's Black Sea fleet is closely monitoring a US missile destroyer in the sea, the Russian National Defense Control Center has said. "Units of the Black Sea Fleet started tracking the USS Donald Cook, a guided missile destroyer, immediately after it entered the Black Sea," the center was quoted as saying by Interfax news agency on Saturday.

The US vessel entered the Black Sea at 8.50 p.m. (Moscow time), Xinhua reported citing the center. The Pytlivy guard ship is watching actions of the US ship, using electronic and technical surveillance means during the whole period of the ship's presence in the fleet's responsibility zone, it said.

According to existing regulations, the US warship, which belongs to a country without a Black Sea coastline, is not allowed to stay in the sea longer than 21 days, the center was quoted by Tass news agency as saying. Earlier on the day, the US Navy said that the ship started heading into the Black Sea to conduct maritime security operations.

Russia started inspecting commercial ships sailing through the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait after inaugurating a bridge over the strait. On November 25, Russia seized three Ukrainian naval ships and 24 sailors on board attempting to sail through the Kerch Strait from the Black Sea to the Sea of Azov.