UK warships will set sail for the Black Sea next month as tensions between Russia and Ukraine soar
UK warships will set sail for the Black Sea within weeks as tensions between Russia and Ukraine soar
- Two British warships will head to the Black Sea in May in a show of solidarity with Ukraine, according to a newspaper report
- One Type 45 destroyed and an anti-submarine Type 23 frigate will be sent from the Royal Navy’s carrier task group in the Mediterranean
- The move comes amid heightened tensions between Russia and Ukraine that have drawn calls for calm from the international community
British warships will sail for the Black Sea in May amid rising tensions between Ukraine and Russia, according to a report.
The deployment is aimed at showing solidarity with Ukraine and Britain’s NATO allies, the Sunday Times newspaper reported, citing senior naval sources.
One Type 45 destroyer armed with anti-aircraft missiles and an anti-submarine Type 23 frigate will leave the Royal Navy’s carrier task group in the Mediterranean and head through the Bosphorus into the Black Sea, according to the report.
RAF F-35B Lightning stealth jets and Merlin submarine-hunting helicopters will stand ready on the task group’s flag ship, the carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth, to support the warships in the Black Sea, the report added.
While the Ministry of Defence insists the pre-planned deployment is routine, it comes at a time of heightened fears of conflict between Russia and Ukraine which has seen a build-up of Russian troops along the border and clashes in eastern Ukraine between the army and pro-Russian separatists.
![British warships will sail for the Black Sea in May amid rising tensions between Ukraine and Russia, according to a report. One Type 45 destroyer (of the type pictured above) armed with anti-aircraft missiles will leave the Royal Navy's carrier task group in the Mediterranean and head through the Bosphorus into the Black Sea, according to the Sunday Times [File photo]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2021/04/19/01/41922780-0-image-a-154_1618793143777.jpg)
British warships will sail for the Black Sea in May amid rising tensions between Ukraine and Russia, according to a report. One Type 45 destroyer (of the type pictured above) armed with anti-aircraft missiles will leave the Royal Navy’s carrier task group in the Mediterranean and head through the Bosphorus into the Black Sea, according to the Sunday Times [File photo]
![RAF F-35B Lightning stealth jets (pictured) and Merlin submarine-hunting helicopters will stand ready on the task group's flag ship, the carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth, to support the warships in the Black Sea, according to the report [File photo]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2021/04/19/01/41924282-0-image-a-156_1618793622334.jpg)
RAF F-35B Lightning stealth jets (pictured) and Merlin submarine-hunting helicopters will stand ready on the task group’s flag ship, the carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth, to support the warships in the Black Sea, according to the report [File photo]
Last week, Vladimir Putin escalated fears of a possible Russian invasion by ordering the blockade of the strategically important Kerch Strait.
Russian warships moved into position to control the strait on Friday, cutting off sea access to Ukraine’s south-eastern coastline and eastern Crimea.
The Kremlin confirmed all foreign and Ukrainian military vessels will be forbidden to sail from the Black Sea into the Sea of Azov for the next six months, although commercial vessels will not be affected.
The blockade was announced a day after President Joe Biden cancelled plans to send two American destroyers to the Black Sea for fear of increasing tensions.
Last week, Vladimir Putin escalated fears of a possible Russian invasion by ordering the blockade of the strategically important Kerch Strait. Three Ukrainian artillery boats threatened to shoot five FSB coast guard vessels near the Kerch Strait overnight between April 14 and 15, observers said, after the Russian ships made ‘provocative manoeuvres’
UK defence chiefs confirmed six Royal Air Force Typhoon super-jets will fly to eastern Europe as part of another pre-planned mission.
The Typhoons will be supported by troops from the RAF’s No1 Expeditionary Logistics Squadron and No2 Mechanical Transport Squadron. They are deploying from bases in the UK this week and will police the skies around the Black Sea.
A ministry spokesman told the Sunday Times that the UK government was working closely with Ukraine to monitor the situation and continued to call on Russia to de-escalate.
According to the Ukrainian government, Russia has sent at least 41,000 troops to the border in eastern Ukraine and 42,000 to Crimea
The Ukrainian army conduct a drill with military tanks on Sunday as Russian troops amass in near the Donbas region
Ukrainian troops man trenches in the eastern Donbas region as the country’s foreign minister warns Moscow it will bear ‘very painful consequences’ if it invades
‘The UK and our international allies are unwavering in our support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity’, the newspaper quoted the spokesman as saying.
According to the Ukrainian government, Russia has sent at least 41,000 troops to the border in eastern Ukraine and 42,000 to Crimea.
The Kremlin has played down the deployment as a military exercise, not a threat. However, Russian state TV last week warned Moscow is ‘one step away from war’.
A Russian tank is seen on the back of a flatbed truck on a road leading towards Mariupol, in eastern Ukraine, as Russian forces continue to mount in the region
Russian support vehicles are seen on the a road leading between Rostov-on-Don in Russia and Mariupol in Ukraine
More than 14,000 people have been killed since 2014, when Russia annexed eastern Ukraine.
Security experts now fear Russia is planning to reoccupy eastern Ukraine on the pretence of protecting native Russian speakers who live there.
Nato has expressed serious concern over the build-up of forces on the border, while Pope Francis on Sunday called for a lowering of tensions in eastern Ukraine and expressed anxiety over a military buildup.
‘Please! I strongly hope that an increase in tension can be avoided. On the contrary, there is a need for gestures that can promote reciprocal trust and foster reconciliation and peace, both so necessary and so desired.’
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky (left) and his wife Olena (second left) were in Paris today where they met with President Macron (second right) and his wife Brigette in a show of unity (right)
Pope Francis on Sunday called for a lowering of tensions in eastern Ukraine and expressed anxiety over a military buildup
On Friday, Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel declared their support for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and called on Russia to rapidly withdraw troops from the border region.
Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine’s foreign minister, warned of ‘very painful consequences’ if Putin invades as he said ‘words are not enough’ and allies would need to provide practical support.
He spoke following a meeting with the foreign ministers of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia – NATO allies in the region – saying ‘the four of us condemn the exacerbation of the situation by Russia.’
‘The world is on the side of Ukraine and international law, and this is one of the elements of restraining Russia from reckless actions,’ Kuleba added.
Biden has also offered to hold a summit with Putin in an attempt to cool relations, a move which has been hailed in Moscow as evidence that the US had blinked first in the standoff.
Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said the Russian president is ‘studying’ plans for a summit but added that it is ‘too early’ to discuss specifics.
