Drifting gently, USS Carney floats in the Black Sea. Two Russian warships and the odd dolphin lurk nearby. Then the order is given: “Release the killer tomato.” Several warships line up alongside the 9,000-tonne destroyer, as though at a shooting gallery. A gigantic inflatable cube, garishly true to its name, is hoisted over the edge of Carney into the still waters. The frigate Hetman Sahaydachniy, the pride of Ukraine’s navy, takes the first potshots. On Carney’s bridge, a young sailor seated at a screen with arcade-style joysticks unleashes a burst of fire from the ship’s remote-controlled cannon. HMS Duncan, a British destroyer, goes next. The balloon shrivels as shells thump into the water. The tomato is duly squashed.
The Economist: America and its allies are helping Ukraine to get its sea legs back
US missile destroyer USS Donald Cook (DDG-75) is docked in the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Odesa, after it was moored early morning on Feb. 25, 2019 to take part in joint exercises with Ukrainian Navy ships.
