Black Sea Turning Into “Zone Of Dangerous Military Confrontation”: Russian Foreign Ministry

Via Southfront.org,

The Black Sea is turning into a zone of dangerous military confrontation, Yuri Pilipson, director of the Fourth European Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, said in an interview with RIA Novosti.

This was the diplomat’s answer to a question of how NATO exercises affect the security situation in the region.

“It is quite obvious that this kind of “training” provokes, and does not prevent, conflict situations,” the diplomat said.

According to him, Russia will continue to take measures to ensure national security with the help of both diplomatic and other instruments.

“We have repeatedly warned that the escalation of military-political tension directly at our borders carries a confrontational charge,” added Pilipson.

From June 28 to July 10, the Sea Breeze 2021 military maneuvers took place in the Black Sea. Up to five thousand servicemen, 40 aircraft and 32 ships from NATO member countries, as well as Ukraine, took part in them. They were watched by the duty forces of the Black Sea Fleet.

Shortly before the start of the exercise, the British destroyer HMS Defender crossed the Russian border near the Crimean Cape Fiolent. The Russian border patrol ship, after repeated warnings, fired warning shots, and the Su-24M fired warning bombings along the Defender’s course.

London argued that the destroyer was not fired upon and that it never entered Russian territorial waters. However, a journalist on board confirmed that the ship had deliberately violated the Russian border.

President Vladimir Putin called this incident a provocation, which was undertaken to show the West’s disrespect for the choice of the Crimeans. According to him, the military development of the territory of Ukraine causes deep concern for Russia – this concerns the real vital interests of the country and the people.

Meanwhile, MSM reported that Russian submarines equipped with hypersonic missiles pose a serious threat to Eastern European NATO allies in the Black Sea region.

The author of the article, Kris Osborn, noted that hypersonic weapons are extremely dangerous regardless of the launch method.

“Stopping rockets traveling at five times the speed of sound is a challenge for any force, and launching from submarines poses additional challenges,” he explained.

According to the military expert, stationary ground-based missile launch sites can be identified in advance. At the same time, submarines are hiding in the ocean before an attack, which will complicate protection against hypersonic weapons, he said.

Osborne also shared concerns about new technologies that reduce noise levels. This will help the submarines to reach coastal areas inaccessible to surface ships with deep draft, the journalist emphasized.

“If this is the case, then Albania and Bulgaria may be in great danger,” he added.

On August 1st, the head of the military academy of the General Staff, Colonel-General Vladimir Zarudnitsky, announced that Russia is developing the latest X-95 air-launched long-range hypersonic  missile.

In February, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced that various-based hypersonic systems would become the backbone of Russia’s non-nuclear deterrent forces.