The decision was made in the context of the US transferring ATACMS long-range missiles to Ukraine and the US deploying two aircraft carrier battle groups near Israel, Mr. Putin said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said he has ordered fighter jets equipped with hypersonic missiles to begin 24-hour patrols over the Black Sea - a move the US says will increase tensions amid the Black Sea. scenes of the war in Ukraine and the escalating crisis in the Middle East between Israel and Hamas.
“This is not a threat… On my instructions, the Russian Aerospace Forces will begin regular patrols in the neutral airspace over the Black Sea and MiG-31 aircraft will be equipped with anti-aircraft systems. President Kinzhal,” Mr. Putin told reporters in Beijing after talks on October 18 with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
With a range of more than 1.000 km with a speed of Mach 9 (equivalent to 11.000 km/h), Kinzhal (Dagger) is Russia's newest weapon with a "hypersonic ballistic missile equipped on interceptor fighter aircraft". MiG-31K,” Russian state news agency TASS said, adding that the Kinzhal missile has a low radar signature and high maneuverability, and is designed to attack ground and naval targets.
“I emphasize that this is not a threat, but we will exercise visual control – armed control – of what is happening in the Mediterranean Sea,” Putin said.
The Black Sea, or Black Sea, is an inland sea located between Southeast Europe and Asia Minor. The Black Sea is connected to the Eastern Mediterranean through the Bosporus Strait and the Sea of Marmara.
MiG-31K fighter of the Russian Aerospace Forces carries Kinzhal (Dagger) supersonic cruise missiles. Photo: Sputnik
“All this is heating up the atmosphere” amid conflicts in the Middle East, the Russian leader said.
Not long after the latest conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist force Hamas broke out on October 7, the US sent the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier strike group and the USS Dwight D aircraft carrier strike group. . Eisenhower (CSG) to the Eastern Mediterranean “to deter any actor seeking to escalate the situation or expand this war.”
Efforts to improve America's posture continue, including the rapid introduction of US Air Force F-15, F-16 and A-10 aircraft into the battlefield to reinforce aircraft squadrons. existing combat aircraft in the area.
In the Ukraine battlefield, US President Joe Biden last month agreed to provide Kiev with a limited number of powerful Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS). Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on October 17 that ATACMS had "proven itself" after his army carried out attacks on Russian airfields in Lugansk and Berdyansk on the Sea of Azov, more than 10 meters from the front line. kilometer.
Mr. Putin said that the US "made a mistake" when providing ATACMS to Ukraine. He said the missiles "only prolong the pain" for Ukraine and that Russia "will certainly be able to repel these attacks.".
Minh Đức (According to Bloomberg, Al Arabiya)
