Russia – Political tension escalated between Russia and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), as Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened to shoot down F-16 fighters if Kiev received them from the alliance.
Amid Ukrainian statements confirming that Kiev will soon receive these aircraft, while a Russian bombing targeting several Ukrainian regions resulted in deaths and injuries.
Speaking to Russian Air Force pilots late on Wednesday, Putin said that his country does not plan to attack any NATO country, but if the West supplies Ukraine with F-16 fighters, Russian forces will shoot it down.
Putin said in his speech, which the Kremlin issued a transcript of on Thursday, that the military alliance led by the United States has expanded eastward toward Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, but Moscow does not plan to attack any member state of the alliance.
Putin stressed that the West’s supply of F-16 fighters to Kiev would not change anything on the battlefield. He also stressed that the West is discussing this and training pilots in preparation for supplying those aircraft to Ukraine.
The Russian President said that F-16 fighters can also carry nuclear weapons, and continued, “Of course, if they are launched from the airports of a third country, they will become legitimate targets for us wherever they are.”
He added, “We will destroy aircraft, just as we currently destroy tanks, armored vehicles, and other equipment, including rocket launchers.”
Putin’s statements came in the wake of a statement made by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba – yesterday, Wednesday – in which he said that Ukraine expects to receive F-16 fighters in the coming months.
In the same context, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Thursday morning that NATO’s activity in Eastern Europe and the Black Sea region comes within the framework of the alliance’s preparations for a possible confrontation with Russia.
The ministry added, “Such activity by NATO members is pure provocation, increases military tension along our borders, and creates additional threats to Russia’s security,” according to what was reported by the Russian Sputnik news agency.
The ministry said that Moscow will monitor what is happening in Romania, assess the risks arising from it, and take them into account in its military plans.
The Russian Foreign Ministry’s statement comes after the Romanian authorities announced their readiness to invest $2.7 billion to develop a military air base in the Constanta region.
Work has begun on the southern part of the future camp, where access roads and a robust electrical network are now being built.
On the ground, media reported that 4 people were killed and 28 others were injured as a result of Russian bombing on several Ukrainian regions, including Kharkiv, which prompted Kiev to demand to obtain more Patriot air defense systems from its Western allies.
Yesterday, Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on his Western allies again to “accelerate the delivery” of F-16 fighter jets to his country, in addition to Patriot systems.
Zelensky said, “Strengthening Ukraine’s air defense and accelerating the delivery of F-16 aircraft to Ukraine are vital tasks.”
For its part, Ukrainian forces announced that they shot down 26 drones launched by Russia towards the east and south of the country on Wednesday night and Thursday morning, according to a senior army official.
Ukrainian Air Force Commander Mykola Olichchuk said – Thursday morning – that Russian forces launched 28 attack drones during the night from the Russian regions of Kursk and Cape Chuda in the Crimean Peninsula, which Moscow annexed in 2014.
He explained that 26 of these drones were “destroyed” in different regions of Ukraine, without any reports of injuries or material damage.
Source: Al Jazeera + agencies
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2024-03-29 13:52:28