CNN’s Ivan Watson reports from Bosphorus Strait on a U.S. warship headed to the Black Sea on a routine deployment.
The US Navy destroyer USS Truxtun (DDG-103) left Greece, and crossed the Dardanelles Friday, as the vessel heads to the Black Sea for what the US Navy has described as a “routine” deployment that was purportedly scheduled well before the current crisis in Ukraine. The US Navy destroyer is expected to cross the Bosphorus and sail into Black Sea waters later Friday. The USS Truxtun is reported to be conducting training with the Romanian Navy and the Bulgarian Navy — both member states of NATO since March 29, 2004.
The USS Truxtun (DDG-103) is an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer. Launched in 2007, the 160-meter (510-foot) vessel boasts a complement of 380 officers and has RIM-66 SM-2 missiles, BGM-109 Tomahawk missiles, RUM-139 VL-Asroc missiles, four 12.7 millimetre guns, two MK 46 triple torpedo tubes, and a 20 mm Phalanx CIWS weapons system. The motto of the ship is “Pursue Attack Vanquish.”
Armed men believed to be Russians smashed a gate with a truck, and drove into a Ukrainian missile-defense post in the Crimea region on Friday. No shots were fired and injuries were reported. A standoff was resolved without any shots being fired, and the exact nature of the resolution unknown. Some reports are calling the incident a partial seizure of the missile defense post, but that the defense post is still under Ukranian control.
USS Truxtun destroyer heading to the Black Sea.
CNN’s Michael Holmes shows security camera footage of a Bulgarian journalist being attacked in Ukraine by unknown assailants.
CNN’s Richard Quest interviews McAfee CEO Michael DeCesare in the face of growing cybersecurity concerns in Ukraine.
Muslims in Ukraine caught in the middle: Diana Magnay reports that Crimea’s Tatars are being told to choose between Russian and Ukraine.
CNN’s Michael Holmes looks at the situation in Ukraine and the Crimea referendum.
Johns Hopkins University Professor Steve Hanke discusses the financial future of Ukraine.
United Nations representative Robery Serry was blocked by a noisy crowd of locals at a Simferopol café on Wednesday. The crowd consisting of unarmed local militia men in uniform and locals, surrounded the café waving Russian, Crimean and Soviet flags, but made no attempts to enter. Television crews and journalists jostled to get a glimpse of Serry in the café.
Eventually police arrived and escorted Serry to his minivan as the crowd shouted “Russia, Russia” and “referendum” in support of a regional vote on self-determination scheduled for March 30th.
See also …
ABC News What’s Going on in Ukraine?
The Telegraph Ukraine News (the latest and breaking Ukrainian news) …
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