An old acquaintance, the American destroyer Donald Cook, once again looked into the Black Sea, after which he was taken under the supervision of the Russian Navy. The visual control of the maneuvers of a US military ship began to carry out the guard ship of the Black Sea Fleet "Pytlivy", in addition, it is monitored using electronic and technical means of the Russian fleet.
In the official statement of the Russian side, it is noted that if necessary, aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles will rise into the air.
I must say that this addition sounds like a mocking reminder of the 2014 incident in the Black Sea, when particularly sensitive members of the crew of the American destroyer did not withstand a close acquaintance with the Russian "Dryer".
The aircraft approached the ship, which entered the Black Sea during the Crimean events, and made 12 overflights, using electronic warfare, which temporarily paralyzed the onboard equipment of the destroyer. It is difficult to say what the sailors in the US are teaching, but for some reason the effect of the actions of the Russian bomber was deafening. After this flight, accomplished, by the way, is by no means in the most rigid form, 27 crew members submitted a report on the transfer.
The next meeting with the destroyer who had already become something like a relative happened a couple of years later. Now in the Baltic Sea. Here, Donald Cook was visited by two Su-24s, which passed over the ship at an extremely low altitude. The US military reacted extremely nervously, accusing, as last time, of Russian pilots "in unsafe and unprofessional maneuvers." But the crew this time turned out to be much stronger. Not a single report on the transfer.
And now the outdated American vessel of the “subseries II”, adopted as part of the fleet back in 1998, again visited the waters, where Russia does not welcome other ships too much. There is no military sense in the presence of a destroyer in the Black Sea waters. In fact, the destroyer, seemingly capable of carrying the entire range of missiles that are in service with the US Navy (with the exception of underwater ballistic missiles), is completely helpless against Russian coastal missile systems and coastal aviation, which can slam the destroyer like a fly - with one blow. The entire Black Sea area is shot through from the Russian side.
Ship call is a purely political measure that should demonstrate military support provided by Washington to Kiev after a provocation in the Kerch Strait. This incident led to the fact that the American fleet began to appear in the Black Sea more often than before.
The previous Black Sea voyage of the American ships took place in July last year. Then, as part of the Sea Breeze-2018 exercise, the Pentagon deployed the staff ship Mount Whitney and the destroyer Porter: the guests stayed in the water area for 10 days. In August the Carney destroyer visited for a couple of days.
In the Ukrainian capital, the destroyer’s current visit was called “good news,” although, if one understands, this is no news. Direct combat contact with the Russian Navy and aviation is ruled out, and sailing in the waters is a beautiful, expensive and generally useless exercise, unable to make any serious impression on Moscow. Toys and sandbox - given, in general, quite annoying for Americans, the fact that Donald Cook is a potential target, hit the first time and with a guaranteed total destruction.
It seems to me that to feel an unprotected goal, at which the Russians gaze, grinning at their mustaches, should be psychologically not very comfortable for American sailors. But who knows them there ... In addition, the presence of ships of non-Black Sea countries in the Black Sea is limited by the Montreux doctrine: the maximum period is 21 days. So, in any case, in the second week of February, the destroyer passing through the Bosphorus on January 19 will go home, it is not known what he showed to whom.
Ukrainian politicians dream of being naive and inclined to see what is happening in a romantic haze, like Georgians in August 2008, about using all the ship's power against the “aggressor and occupier”. In addition, they are eager for an American to take part in another provocation in the Kerch Strait, and they are not shy about telling these dreams.
In December, the British reconnaissance ship Echo entered the Black Sea. In Odessa, where he stopped, a representative of the Ukrainian government offered the command of the ship to take part in a joint British-Ukrainian raid into the Sea of Azov. The British, of course, did not support the insane idea and prudently washed away from the water area in due time.
In the same way, the old Donald Cook will dissolve in a sea haze after a couple of weeks, so that, perhaps, after some time, will again substitute your sides to the Black Sea sun. Without any meaning, however.
The point of view of the author may not coincide with the position of the editorial board.