The next major maritime exercise this year will be Sea Breeze 2021 from 28 June to 10 July. As in previous years, the manoeuvre will be jointly led by the Ukrainian and American navies. After many nations cancelled their participation last year due to the coronavirus, units from a record number of countries are expected to take part this time. In addition to the traditional participants from the major NATO countries, there will also be exotic participants from all over the world, including Brazil, Japan and South Korea. A total of 5,000 soldiers from 32 nations will be practising various deployment scenarios together with 32 ships, 40 aircraft and 18 special forces and diving teams. Germany was last represented as a participant in 2015 and will not be sending any units this year either.
Although the maritime component dominates Sea Breeze 21, the land and air dimensions are integrated. The exercises include amphibious operations, diving operations, maritime interdiction operations, air defence, anti-submarine warfare and SAR operations. The Sea Breeze series has taken place annually since 1997 under the joint leadership of Ukraine and the United States. The aim of the manoeuvre is to improve cooperation between the western shores of the Black Sea and NATO partners.
Text: mb; Photo: Ukrainian Navy
English 
German
What are they all doing in the Black Sea?
Moin,
and already today the Russian authorities have reported a violation of the maritime borders of the Russian Federation off the Crimea near Cape Fiolent; a border guard vessel of the Russian Maritime Border Guard fired warning shots at the bow of the British destroyer "Defender", which according to Russian information entered Russian territorial waters by 3 km at 11:52 Moscow time (10:52 Central European Summer Time).52 Moscow time (10.52 Central European Summer Time) 3 km into Russian territorial waters; also at 12:19 Moscow time (11.19 CEST) two Su-24M (NATO: "Fencer") dropped four "OFAB-250" bombs off the course of the "Defender". At 12:23 Moscow time (11:23 CEST) the "Defender" left Russian territory.