Two Russian warships transited the Bosphorus en route to the Black Sea on Saturday, April 17, and 15 smaller vessels completed a transfer to the sea as Moscow beefs up its naval presence at a time of tense relations with the West and Ukraine.
Russia's relations with Washington, which cancelled the deployment of two of its own warships to the Black Sea last week after fierce Russian protests, are at a post-Cold war low. Russia has also temporarily restricted the movement of foreign warships"and other state ships" near Crimea, which it annexed from Ukraine in 2014, a move condemned by both Kiev and Washington.
More Russian naval reinforcements in the form of two more landing ships, this time from Russia's Baltic Fleet, are expected to imminently transit the Bosphorus.news agency on Saturday also reported that 15 smaller vessels from Russia's Caspian Flotilla have completed their transfer to the Black Sea as part of an exercise.
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