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The last several days have seen the normally quiet Black Sea unusually busy in terms of naval activity — even considering a small skirmish there on Aug. 10 between the Russian and Georgian navies that resulted in the sinking of a Georgian missile boat.

The flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, the guided-missile cruiser Moskva (121), has been quite active since Russian forces moved into Georgia on Aug. 8, although its presence has not been sustained. The Moskva has made several port calls at the Russian naval facility at Novorosslysk and at Sevastopol, Ukraine, its homeport and fleet headquarters. When it sank the Georgian missile boat, the Moskva was accompanied by several smaller escorts. The Black Sea Fleet consists of five other major surface combatants, more than a dozen smaller patrol vessels and a Kilo-class diesel-electric submarine.

On Aug. 25, the Moskva conducted what Russia claims were previously scheduled tests of its “radio-controlled weapons” during a NATO group’s visit to the Bulgarian and Romanian coasts (also previously scheduled). Though the Russian drill does not appear to have included a live-fire test, a Russian naval officer was likely making a veiled threat when he said the ship was about to spin up its SS-N-12 “Sandbox” supersonic anti-ship missiles, which are designed to kill U.S. carriers.

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November 20, 2008 | 1849 GMT

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