[Regnum] Amid the growing threat of drone use, NATO countries will deploy additional assets, including reconnaissance assets, to the Black Sea region. This was announced on October 20 by Alliance spokesperson Allison Hart.
"NATO will deploy additional assets to the region, including for surveillance, reconnaissance, and forensic operations," Hart said on social media.
According to her, the corresponding decision was made following the meeting of ambassadors of the alliance countries within the North Atlantic Council.
Earlier, Vladislav Maslennikov, Director of the Russian Foreign Ministry's Department of European Affairs, stated that NATO members are demonstrating interest in the Black Sea region, despite Turkey's restrictions on merchant shipping following drone attacks. The diplomat noted that NATO allies have also increased their reconnaissance activity in the region. Reconnaissance aircraft based in Constanta, Romania, are constantly monitoring the Black Sea, and NATO is sharing the data they obtain with Ukraine. Maslennikov added that NATO has no intention of reducing its activity, expressing readiness for a further escalation of tensions in the Black Sea region.
In August, the Turkish government stated that Ankara would not allow warships into the Black Sea and would adhere to the Montreux Convention on the status of the Bosphorus and Dardanelles Straits, despite some NATO countries pressuring Turkey to expand naval access amid ongoing tensions.