The United States is alarmed by reports that Russia is deploying additional fighter jets to Crimea, supposedly in preparation for another so-called “provocation” by Ukraine, Acting Deputy Chief of the U.S. Mission to the OSCE Gregory Macris said.
More than a dozen SU-27 and SU-30 fighter jets which Russia is deploying to boost its air force, amid heightened tensions with Ukraine, arrived in Crimea on Saturday.
Russia’s disinformation campaign seeks to justify Moscow’s ongoing militarization of Crimea, noted in a statement.
In addition, he added that the United States welcomes the UN General Assembly’s December 17 resolution condemning Russian militarization of Crimea, the Sea of Azov, and the Black Sea.
The resolution correctly states that Russia’s actions pose further threats to Ukraine and undermine the stability of the broader region.
The United States takes note of the SMM’s December 11 report on the effects of Russia’s illegal actions and obstruction of commercial shipping in the Kerch Strait and the Azov Sea. As we have stated before, Russia’s policy of sabotaging Ukrainian commercial networks is another attempt to destabilize Ukraine.
The SMM reported that monthly cargo volume at the Port of Mariupol declined from 700,000 to 450,000 tons since Russia began to restrict access to the Azov Sea in April.
The United States supports adding resources to ensure that the SMM retains the capacity to measure and report on the effects of Russia’s destabilization efforts at sea.