Moscow-Sana
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said today that ships belonging to NATO and other countries from the region are entering the Black Sea with long-range precision weapons in an attempt to test the resilience of southern Russia's borders.
Russia Today website quoted Shoigu as saying in a television interview, "When a ship belonging to a country from outside the region enters the Black Sea carrying long-range, high-precision weapons on board, that is, it is not on a tourist trip... We, of course, monitor and follow these ships and realize that any incidents may occur. Provocations at any moment, as happened not long ago with the British ship, and we do not allow such things.”
He added, "These actions prove that there are continuous attempts to test us and verify our readiness and the quality and effectiveness of our defense system along the Black Sea coast and in general in the south of our country," noting that Russia will continue to conduct exercises in this region on an ongoing basis to enhance the readiness of its forces.
On the fourth of this month, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that the Black Sea Fleet was tracking an American warship that entered the Black Sea as part of NATO maneuvers, following several accidents and provocations by foreign ships in the region.