from ZeroHedge:

Russia has kicked off a major planned naval drill in the Black Sea, dubbed the Ocean Shield-2023 naval exercises, coming after a series of close encounters with NATO in the form of recent aerial intercepts over both the Baltic and Black Seas.

Russia’s somewhat regular drills in these waters are often in response to NATO exercises in the region, in tit-for-tat muscle flexing. Some EU policy wonks have of late begun to call the Baltic “NATO’s lake” in a direct challenge to Moscow.