The US condemns Russia's deployment of fighter jets to Crimea
Russia is preparing for another provocation by deploying additional fighter jets to Crimea, stated by US Acting Deputy Chief of Mission to the OSCE Gregory Macris, Voice of America reports.
“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," Macris stated. He claimed that Russia’s disinformation campaign seeks to justify it's ongoing militarization of the Crimea. He added that the United States welcomes the UN General Assembly’s December 17 resolution condemning the Russian militarization of the Crimea, the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea.
“Russia’s policy of sabotaging Ukrainian commercial networks is another attempt to destabilize Ukraine,” the statement reads. The OSCE 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.