The Russian Aerospace Forces detected and escorted four flights of NATO reconnaissance aircraft in the airspace over the Black Sea region. This was announced on November 13 by the Russian Defense Ministry.
"The active actions of the US Navy's naval grouping and NATO aviation reconnaissance flights have shifted and are being conducted in the northwestern part of the Black Sea. The radar facilities of the Russian Aerospace Forces and the forces of the Black Sea Fleet over the past day detected and accompanied four flights of reconnaissance aircraft of NATO countries in the airspace over the Black Sea region,"the report says.
The Defense Ministry said that in the area of operations of US ships in the northwestern part of the Black Sea, reconnaissance flights of three P-8A Poseidon patrol aircraft of the US Navy, which took off from the Sigonella air base on the island of Sicily, were recorded. The strategic reconnaissance aircraft U-2S of the US Air Force, which took off from the Akrotiri air base on the island of Cyprus, conducted reconnaissance from the airspace of Ukraine and the northwestern part of the Black Sea.
The ministry stressed that the unprovoked aggressive military activity of the United States and NATO allies in the region poses a threat to regional security and strategic stability.
In addition, it is noted that the Porter guided missile destroyer and the Mount Whitney staff ship of the US Navy conducted a number of joint exercises with ships of Turkey, Romania and Ukraine in international waters off the coast of Romania and made a call at the port of Constanta.
Control over the actions of American ships in the Black Sea is carried out by ships of the Black Sea Fleet - the missile cruiser "Moscow", the frigate "Admiral Essen" and the patrol ship "Pavel Derzhavin".
Earlier on Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the unplanned US exercises in the Black Sea pose a serious challenge for Russia. According to him, the Defense Ministry had a proposal to also hold its unplanned exercises in this water area, but, according to Putin, this is impractical.
On November 12, the Ministry of Defense reported on the increased intensity of aerial reconnaissance of the North Atlantic Alliance countries near the borders of Russia. It was noted that six flights of NATO reconnaissance aircraft were recorded over the Black Sea.
On November 11, a Su-30 fighter jet took off to escort a British reconnaissance aircraft in the Black Sea area. The RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft of the British Air Force tried to approach the state border of Russia in the area of the southwestern part of the Crimean Peninsula.
On October 30, the headquarters of the Sixth Fleet of the US Navy and Naval strike forces and NATO support forces began operations in the Black and Mediterranean Seas. The American Arleigh Burke-class missile destroyer USS Porter has begun transit to the Black Sea to interact with NATO allies and partners in the region.