NATO Holds Navy Drills In Black Sea Amid Russia Tensions

Sea Shield 2019, an annual Romanian-led naval exercise, continued in the Black Sea on April 12. The exercise, which began on April 5, involved more than 20 ships and crews from Romania, Bulgaria, Canada, Greece, the Netherlands, and Turkey. Five ships from a standing NATO maritime group participated in the exercise. The exercises took place amid increased tensions in the Black Sea region after Russia's capture of three Ukrainian naval vessels in November.