The number of flights by NATO spy planes near the Crimean Peninsula has risen by 60% after a provocation in the Kerch Strait in 2018, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Andrei Kartapolov said at a roundtable discussion on Crimea’s reunification with Russia held at the Federation Council on Thursday. This reported by TASS.

NATO’s military presence in the Black Sea region has grown sharply after Crimea’s reunification with Russia, he said.

"US ships, reconnaissance aircraft and drones regularly approach the Russian borders. After the Ukrainian Navy’s Kerch provocation in November 2018, NATO’s activity in the region has intensified further. The number of spy aircraft flights has grown by 40% in the region and by 60% near the Crimean Peninsula," the deputy defense minister said.