Russian Military Says US Flights Near Crimea Fuel Tensions

A U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress bomber, assigned to the 96th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, deployed from Barksdale Air Force Base, La., lands during exercise Lightning Focus at Royal Australian Air Force Base (RAAF) in Darwin, Australia, on Dec. 6, 2018. U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Christopher Quail via AP

MOSCOW—The Russian military on Friday accused the United States and its allies of provoking tensions in the Black Sea region with a sharp increase in the number of bomber patrols and intelligence flights.

Col. Gen. Sergei Rudskoi, head of the Russian General Staff’s main operational department, said that the United States and other members of NATO have significantly increased the scope of their military activities in the region.