Russia Orders Warships into Black Sea

A fleet of more than 20 Russian warships and support vessels has set sail for exercises in the Black Sea amid rising tensions with NATO in Eastern Europe.

The Ministry of Defense in Moscow confirmed on Wednesday that the taskforce, which includes frigates, missile boats, minesweepers and amphibious assault vessels, had left the ports of Sevastopol and Novorossiysk on the country's southern coast.

The ships will practice maneuvering and repelling aerial attacks, among other combat skills, officials have confirmed.