OREANDA-NEWS. The Black Sea is gradually becoming a territory of hazardous military confrontation; in this zone, constant NATO exercises are causing international conflicts. This opinion was expressed in an interview with RIA Novosti by the director of the Fourth European Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Yuri Pilipson.

“Unfortunately, I have to admit that at the moment the Black Sea is turning from a zone of peace and good-neighborliness into a place of dangerous military confrontation. Everything is clear that this kind of“ training ”provokes, and does not serve as a prevention of conflict situations,” the diplomat replied to the question of how the Sea Breeze 2021 exercise affects the security situation in the Black Sea region.

According to the Russian diplomat, the Russian Federation will continue to do what depends on it to ensure national security, using diplomatic and other measures for this purpose.

"We have warned many times that the incitement of military-political tensions directly at our borders will entail a confrontational response," he added.

It is recalled that the Sea Breeze 2021 military maneuvers were organized in the Black Sea from June 28 to July 10, which required Russia's close attention. The main participants in NATO military exercises were Ukraine, the United States, Canada, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey and Latvia. Many units of military equipment were involved in the maneuvers: 40 warships, boats and auxiliary vessels, 30 units of aviation equipment and more than 100 units of armored vehicles and vehicles.