"Under my order, the Russian Aerospace Forces begin patrolling the neutral airspace over the Black Sea on a permanent basis. Our MiG-31 planes are armed with ‘Kinzhal’ systems," the head of state said during a press conference after his visit to China.
Putin specified that "these systems have range of over 1,000 km and speed of up to Mach 9."
"This is not a threat," Putin said, explaining that he merely announced his decision.
The president made his announcement after assessing the US’ actions in Ukraine, pointing out that Washington is getting increasingly involved in the conflict.
"Plus, all this is happening amid the conflict in the Middle East, all this escalates the atmosphere," he stated. "Now, they pulled two aircraft carrier groups into the Mediterranean."
According to Putin, the Russian Aerospace Forces’ patrols will make it possible to carry out visual control and 'control with weapons' over the events in the Mediterranean.
"I warned that this is not a threat, but we will carry out visual control, control with weapons over what is happening in the Mediterranean," the Russian leader underscored, answering a question if his statements will be called a threat in the Western countries.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced that Russia's Aerospace Forces are going to start patrolling the airspace over the Black Sea.
ReplyDeleteAccording to him, the military aircraft involved in this mission will be equipped with Kinzhal hypersonic missiles.
"Per my instructions, the Russian Aerospace Forces will begin patrolling the neutral zone of the airspace over the Black Sea on a regular basis. And our MiG-31 aircraft are armed with Kinzhal systems," Putin said during a press conference in Beijing today.
The Russian president also pointed out that this move is not a threat to anyone.