The head of the Kaliningrad region Alikhanov: the frequency of NATO aircraft has increased
The head of the Kaliningrad region Anton Alikhanov spoke about the frequent flights around the region by NATO reconnaissance aircraft. He stated this in an interview with RIA Novosti .
Such flights are a standard "exchange of pleasantries" between the military, the Russian governor noted.
"The frequency, of course, has increased, but as far as I understand, they can't see anything here that they can't see from space. It is rather a test of boundaries, how quickly we will react, whether we see or not. A standard exchange of pleasantries between the military," Alikhanov said.
He added that Russian pilots are also flying, "we hear them, we see them, everything is fine." According to him, the aviation of the Russian Federation with tracking and detection systems "is also all right."
In early December, a passenger plane en route from Tel Aviv to Moscow was forced to change direction in order to avoid approaching a US reconnaissance aircraft over the Black Sea. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby rejected the creation of a threat by an American reconnaissance aircraft to a civilian airliner. He stressed that the aircraft did not perform dangerous or unprofessional maneuvers over the Black Sea.