Russia's Chilling Warning To US Navy In Black Sea: Keep The Warships Away 'For Their Own Good'

While Vladimir Putin has left the world guessing on his next move after amassing troops along the Ukraine border, Russia has called on U.S. warships to stay well away from Crimea "for their own good."

Though there has been no official word yet, reports say two U.S. warships — Arleigh Burke-class destroyers USS Donald Cook and USS Roosevelt — will sail to the Black Sea in the coming days. Though the U.S. Navy routinely operates in the Black Sea, a decision to deploy warships would send a clear message to Moscow that Washington is closely watching its actions, said a CNN report.

On Friday, Turkey said it was informed by the U.S. that two of its warships will pass through Turkish straits by May 4. According to a 1936 treaty that gives Turkey control over the straits, the U.S. is required to give 14-days notice of its intention to enter the Black Sea.

Calling the U.S. deployment in the Black Sea a provocation designed to test Russian nerves, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Tuesday, "The United States is our adversary and does everything it can to undermine Russia's position on the world stage," Reuters reported citing Russian news agencies.

"We do not see any other elements in their approach. Those are our conclusions," said Ryabkov.

The last few days have seen Russia increasing its military presence along the eastern Ukraine border and Crimea, which Russian forces annexed from Ukraine in March 2014. Some video footage that has surfaced online shows Russian units moving to the Ukrainian border, carrying Iskander missiles.

CNN too reported spotting a congregation of vehicles near the Russian city of Voronezh, located over 100 miles from Ukraine. Some 4,000 heavily-armed Russian forces had been seen moving in Crimea, a U.S. Defense official told CNN.

The White House, last week, said Russia now has more troops near the Ukraine border than any time since 2014, when it annexed Crimea.

Ukraine says Russia now has about 40,000 troops on the eastern border and 40,000 more in Crimea.

On its part, Ukraine has moved some units closer to the Donbas. President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the conflict-ridden region on April 8 and inspected the trenches.

The U.S. soon backed Ukraine, saying it has "real concerns" over the border issue. "President Biden's been very clear about this. If Russia acts recklessly, or aggressively, there will be costs," U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned. U.S. officials also said they might send warships to the Black Sea, which has angered Kremlin, as evident from Ryabkov's words Tuesday.

"There is absolutely nothing for American ships to be doing near our shores, this is purely a provocative action. Provocative in the direct sense of the word: they are testing our strength, playing on our nerves. They will not succeed," Ryabkov said.

He also shrugged off Blinken's warning, saying Moscow had studied U.S. tactics toward Russia and adapted accordingly.

While Russia's defense minister said Tuesday that the massive military buildup in the west was part of readiness drills amid "threats from NATO," analysts cite several reasons for the fresh conflicts, including upcoming parliamentary elections in September and a continuing mass movement supporting Putin's arch-critic Alexei Navalny.

A BBC report said Kremlin "defending" embattled Russians in Ukraine could go down well with many voters. Putin also wants to test President Joe Biden, who has taken a tougher stance on Russia than his predecessor, Donald Trump, says the report.

Meanwhile, Biden, in a telephone conversation with Putin Tuesday, called on Russia to de-escalate tensions and proposed a summit between the two leaders at a neutral venue in the coming months.