Russia: NATO behaves aggressively including its reinforcement in the Black Sea

Posted: 12 Nov 2021 18:08 GMT

Moscow will respond with asymmetric measures if necessary, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov promised.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has confirmed NATO’s aggressive behavior towards Russia, and that this translates into increased military presence in the Black Sea.

Speaking after a meeting of the heads of the defense and foreign ministries of Russia and France in Paris on Friday, Lavrov said that the Atlantic bloc continues its containment policy to Russia.

“There have been many examples of this in recent days, such as the deployment of additional forces in the Black Sea, the dispatch of warships to unusual scale to this region, “recalled the Russian Foreign Minister.

During the negotiations, the Russian side confirmed its intention to keep its approach reserved and not create artificial problems, but also issued a warning. “Of course we will react to the unfriendly acts that the West undertakes and we will act in a commensurate way or, if necessary, asymmetric“Lavrov assured.

The Russian Defense Ministry reported on Friday the detection in the last 24 hours of an increase in reconnaissance activities carried out by NATO planes near the Russian borders in the Black Sea.

From the Ministry they specified that the flights were carried out 5 US aircraft -three P-8A Poseidon, an RC-135 and a U-2S- and another French C-160G Gabriel, coming from bases in Romania, Cyprus, Crete (Greece) and Sicily (Italy).

The Russian Ministry believes that the true objective of this activity is “to study the theater of operations in case Kiev undertakes a military solution to the conflict in the southeastern Ukraine“.

“The Russian Defense Ministry rates this aggressive military activity in the Black Sea as security threat and regional strategic stability “, they affirmed from the organism.

Since October 30, the destroyer USS Porter of the US Navy, with long-range cruise missiles Tomahawk on board, remains in the waters of the Black Sea, as well as the supply ship USNS John Lenthall and the flagship USS Mount Whitney, which arrived in the region on November 3 and 4, respectively. In total, from January to November of this year there have been 12 American ships that have sailed through the Black Sea. On November 9, the Russian military denounced the approach 35 kilometers from the national border of the American follow-up plane E-8CBetween November 9 and 10, three US planes and its allies appeared in the vicinity of the Russian borders, according to the Russian Defense. This is an American reconnaissance aircraft RC-135, which started from the base in Crete (Greece) and approached 30 kilometers from the Russian border; a P-8A Poseidonfrom the US, which passed 70 kilometers away from Russia; and a C-160G belonging to France, which took off from Romania and approached 30 kilometers from the Russian border. NATO itself does not deny that its presence in the Black Sea is due to the fact that “this area has a strategic importance“for the alliance, as acknowledged by Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.