14 Mar, 2023 18:46

Russia comments on US drone crash in Black Sea

No interceptor touched the American spy UAV that was approaching Crimea, Moscow has said

The Russian Defense Ministry on Tuesday denied claims by the US military that a Russian interceptor came into contact with the American MQ-9 drone over the Black Sea, causing it to crash.

The UAV was flying towards the Russian border without a transponder active, in clear violation of the restricted area established for the conduct of the special military operation, the ministry said. Two interceptors were dispatched to investigation.

“As a result of sharp maneuvers around 9:30am Moscow time, the MQ-9 unmanned aerial vehicle went into uncontrolled flight, lost altitude, and collided with the water surface.The Russian fighters did not use weapons, did not come into contact with the UAV, and returned safely to their home base,” the defense ministry said in a statement.

Moscow’s comment came after the US European Command (EUCOM) accused the Russian jets of “an unsafe and unprofessional intercept” of the drone. The Americans claimed their spy drone was operating in international airspace when a pair of Su-27 jets appeared, sprayed it with fuel, and “struck the propeller” of the UAV, which caused it to crash into the sea. EUCOM waited almost 12 hours after the incident to comment on it.

The US has admitted to providing Ukraine with intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance information in the conflict against Russia, while insisting it is not a party to the hostilities. US and NATO spy aircraft frequently fly over the Black Sea and approach Crimea, sometimes just before Ukrainian forces launch attacks on the Russian peninsula.

Last week, a US strategic bomber flew a practice run for a missile attack on St. Petersburg, while staying in international and NATO airspace.

ThePentagon routinely uses the phrase “unsafe and unprofessional” to describe incidents in which Russian interceptors chase off US drones, spy planes or fighters that come too close to the border.

https://www.rt.com/russia/572980-russia-us-drone-down/

14 Mar, 2023 18:35

Russia is fighting for its very existence – Putin

The ongoing conflict with Ukraine is not about achieving some geopolitical gains, the president says

The ongoing conflict with Ukraine – and the West – is a fight for Russia’s very existence, rather than a mere geopolitical game, President Vladimir Putin has said. He made the remarks on Tuesday while meeting with aircraft factory workers in the capital city of Russia’s Buryatia Republic, Ulan-Ude.

“For our Western so-called ‘partners’ – for, actually, our adversaries, we can say that openly today – the matter is about improving their geopolitical stance,” Putin stated, adding that the situation is very different for Moscow.

For us, this is not a struggle for some geopolitical stance, but a struggle for the very existence of Russian statehood.

Destabilization and “tearing apart” Russia have long been among the top goals of the country’s adversaries, Putin said, urging everyone to show unity amid the ongoing hardships.

“In order to bring peace and stability closer, we, of course, need to show the consolidation of our society, composure. When the enemy sees that our society is strong, internally sound, consolidated, then, without any doubt, what we are striving for will happen: both success and victory,” Putin declared.

Protecting Russians living in Ukraine from persecution by the Kiev regime remains among the top goals of Moscow, Putin reiterated, adding that he has repeatedly met people from Donbass who “are exactly the same as us.” Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Moscow tried to build up solid and mutually beneficial ties with Kiev, but the efforts ultimately flopped, the president admitted.

“Russia has been patiently trying for decades to mend relations with the modern Ukrainian state,but the situation changed in 2014, when a Western-prompted coup d’etat took place,” he said. Even after that, Moscow spent years trying to peacefully resolve the civil conflict in then-Ukrainian Donbass, he concluded.

https://www.rt.com/russia/572973-ukraine-conflict-west-putin/

>>18507450

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