A senior member of the Russian Federation Council, Lacy Boschkov, criticized the sailing of US warships in the Black Sea, saying that the move had nothing to do with the security of the United States.
Bushkov said US naval vessels were politically motivated and should therefore stay away from Russia's coastline, Reuters reported.
The US-based destroyer, Donald Cook, with guided missiles, began moving toward the Black Sea on Saturday to "carry out maritime security operations, promote regional maritime stability, joint preparedness and naval capacity," according to a US Navy statement.
"The Russian fleet in the Black Sea is following the movements of the destroyer as soon as it enters the area," the Russian Information Agency quoted the Russian National Defense Command as saying.
"The visits of US warships to the Black Sea are frequent, and these visits have nothing to do with American security," wrote Pushkov, a member of the Russian Federation's Information Policy Committee, on his Twitter account on Sunday.
"They are bragging about their flag, sending us a signal, and appeasing their parliamentarians who are demanding the dispatch of a full military fleet to the Black Sea, they should stay away from our shores," he said.
Meanwhile, a court in Russia this week renewed the detention of 24 Ukrainian sailors held by Moscow and their ships last November in the Kerch Strait, which links the Black Sea with the Azov Sea. They are accused of illegally entering Russian territorial waters.
