US military carries out flight over Ukraine in response to Russia's 'unprovoked attack

The U.S. military flew an “extraordinary” Open Skies Treaty flight over Ukraine on Thursday in response to Russia’s “unprovoked attack” on allied Ukrainian forces late last month in the Black Sea near the Kerch Strait.

The maneuver is the first flight of its kind over Ukraine since 2014, when Russian forces annexed Crimea, according to Eric Pahon, a Pentagon spokesman.

“The timing of this flight is intended to reaffirm U.S. commitment to Ukraine and other partner nations,” a Pentagon statement said. “Russia's unprovoked attack on Ukrainian naval vessels in the Black Sea near the Kerch Strait is a dangerous escalation in a pattern of increasingly provocative and threatening activity.”

The Open Skies flight was requested by top Ukrainian defense officials, Pahon said, and it came after Pentagon officials announced their intentions to sail a warship into the Black Sea in the coming days to shore up support for Ukraine following the capture of 24 sailors and three of its vessels by Russia.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/us-military-carries-out-extraordinary-flight-over-ukraine-in-response-to-russias-unprovoked-attack/ar-BBQAVRp?li=BBnb7Kz