Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday emphasized the need to strengthen the country’s air defense amid NATO military activities near the Russian border.
Speaking during a meeting with military officials and weapons makers in South Russian City Sochi, Putin specifically recorded the spread of the NATO Pimpang NATO missile defense component in Eastern Europe and the more often the mission by NATO ships in the Baltic and Black sea.
“Even now, the US warship has entered the Black Sea, and we can see it in a binocular or cross from our defense system,” he said in reference to USS Mount Whitney, the US 6th fleet, which was deployed to the Black Sea.
Russia has shone on the spread of the US and other NATO ships near the waters as tensions between Moscow and the West have sunk into the lowest position of the Cold War after the 2014 Russian Annexation of the Crimean Peninsula Ukraine, support for separatist rebellion in East Ukraine and other irritants.
Last month, Russia suspended its mission in NATO and ordered the closing of the alliance’s office in Moscow after NATO had attracted the accreditation of eight Russian officials to Brussels’s headquarters, said it believed that they quietly worked for Russian intelligence.
Moscow has repeatedly voiced concerns over the spread of NATO forces near the Russian border, describing it as a threat to his security.
Russia and the alliance also continues to accuse each other from dangerous and provocative maneuvers in the sea and in the air.
In June, Russia said one of his warships fired a warning shot and a fighter dropped a bomb on the British destroyer defense road to keep him away from the Black Sea waters near the city of Sevastopol.
England denied the account, insisted that his ship was not fired and said it sailed in Ukrainian waters.
Like most of the world, the UK recognizes the Crimea as part of Ukraine despite the 2014 announcement of the peninsula by Russia.
After the incident, Moscow warned that it was prepared to target disturbing warships if they failed to heed the warning.
“We must further improve the air defense system and our space as a leading force has developed a weapon of prospective high-speed strikes,” Putin said.
“It is also guaranteed by military-political situations, including flights that are increasingly intensive by NATO aircraft near Russia and the appearance of alliance warships armed with missiles guided in the Baltic and Black Sea.”