Russia warns U.S. warships to keep off Crimea 'for their own good'

The Pentagon has declined to discuss the ships’ deployment, saying only that the U.S. military routinely sends vessels to the region. [Courtesy]

Russia on Tuesday warned the United States to ensure its warships stayed well away from Crimea “for their own good”, calling their deployment in the Black Sea a provocation designed to test Russian nerves.

Moscow annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and two U.S. warships are due to arrive in the Black Sea this week amid an escalation in fighting in eastern Ukraine where government forces have battled Russian-backed troops in a conflict Kyiv says has killed 14,000 people.