Russian forces threatened to shoot down a French plane patrolling international airspace over the Black Sea last month, signaling a “particularly aggressive” stance by Moscow as it battles to advance its invasion of Ukraine, France’s armed forces minister said today. Sebastian Lecornu, quoted by the Associated Press and BTA.
Lecorneux did not provide details of the French flights or aircraft threatened with downing. However, he said that Russia was returning to a “particularly aggressive” posture, reminiscent of the behavior of the former Soviet Union during the Cold War.
NATO has condemned Russia’s “dangerous” behavior in the Black Sea and its attempts to block Ukrainian grain exports, stressing that Russia’s new “warning zone” affects the territorial waters of alliance member Bulgaria, AFP and DPA reported, citing from BTA.
“A month ago, to give you a very specific example, the Russian air traffic control system threatened to shoot down a French plane over the Black Sea when we were in the international free zone that we patrol,” Lecornu said on Air Tel radio.
“Russia’s behavior in 2024 has nothing to do with what we saw in 2022 and, obviously, before the aggression in Ukraine,” the French armed forces minister said. According to him, “this is explained by the fact that Russia is experiencing difficulties on the battlefield in Ukraine.”
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2024-02-23 22:51:49
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