The Ukrainian-U.S. military exercise Sea Breeze 2021 continues in the Black Sea region, at the moment a coordination phase is underway at sea, which is one of the preparatory stages for an active stage of training, the press service of the National Guard of Ukraine reported on Friday.

"Participants of the dive teams from the United States, Ukraine, Latvia, Poland, Georgia and Canada are jointly working out tasks at sea. The National Guard of Ukraine is represented by a dive team of a separate special-purpose detachment of the Southern Odesa Territorial Department," the report said.

It clarifies that members of the international dive team communicate underwater using only a special sign language.

"This is an international language, but it has many nuances. That is why, before each general dive, a mandatory briefing is held with divers to clarify some issues, including a sign language," the National Guard said.

They emphasize that one of the tasks of the dive time of the exercise is to detect and identify explosive objects using the latest equipment that can clear objects, detect mines and search for sunken objects.

"During the coordination of actions, divers of the National Guard of Ukraine, together with foreign colleagues, worked out diving in a closed breathing system of the Aqua-Lung type [made in the United States], walking underwater on signals using a control and localization system – the SHARK MARINE sonar, which was provided by American partners. Also, the diving guards, together with American and Canadian doctors, took a practical course on providing first pre-medical aid using an altitude chamber," the National Guard said.

Sea Breeze is a multinational military exercise that has been held in Ukraine since 1997 in accordance with the 1993 Memorandum of Understanding and Cooperation on Defense and Military Relations between the U.S. Department of Defense and the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. The organizers of the exercise are Ukraine and the United States.