On June 21, NATO’s F-16 fighter jet attempted to
approach a plane carrying Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu over neutral
waters of the Baltic Sea.
KALININGRAD,
June 21. /TASS/. Situation near Russia’s western borders tends to worsen due to
the growing military activity of the North Atlantic Alliance in Eastern Europe,
Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said on Wednesday.
Earlier
on Wednesday, NATO’s F-16 fighter jet attempted to approach a plane carrying
Shoigu over neutral waters of the Baltic Sea. A TASS correspondent, who was
onboard the plane, said Russia-s Su-27 fighter aircraft drove the
F-16 away.
"The situation near our western borders tends to deteriorate. This is linked to the increasing military activity of NATO countries in Eastern Europe. The North Atlantic Alliance is stepping up its presence in the Baltic states. The infrastructure of their sea ports, airfields and other military facilities is being advanced," Shoigu told a meeting of the defense ministry.
Shoigu
noted that NATO is completing the creation of four multinational battalions
near Russia’s borders. "In the Baltic countries and Poland, the formation
of four battalion-size tactical groups is nearing completion, with the total of
5,000 troops with weapons and military equipment," he said.
The
US continues deploying the European elements of missile shield, he noted.
"By 2018, in addition to the missile shield base in Romania there are
plans to launch a similar facility in Poland," Shoigu said.
"The
intensity of the alliance’s operational and combat training is increasing. The
alliance’s BALTOPS 2017 and Saber Strike 2017 large-scale exercises are
currently underway near the Russian borders. Taking part in them are more than
10,000 military servicemen, more than 70 warships and auxiliary vessels and
about 70 aircraft, including B-52 strategic bombers," Shoigu said.
"All
these developments demonstrate the Western partners’ blatant reluctance to
abandon their anti-Russian policy," he emphasized.
According
to him, "apart from using political, information and economic pressure,
some countries also seek to employ military force in order to achieve their
political goals."
"The
steps that our western counterparts take lead to the destruction of the global
security system, increase mutual distrust and force us to take retaliatory
measures, particularly in the western regions of the country," Shoigu said.
"We have been improving the army’s operational strength and the military
basing system," the Russian defense minister added.
NATO
decided at its summit in Warsaw in July 2016 to deploy four multinational
battalions to the Baltic countries and Poland. Each of these battlegroups
consists of around 1,000 people. Canada is leading the battlegroup in Latvia,
while Germany and the United Kingdom will lead similar forces in Lithuania and
Estonia, respectively. The United States commands a NATO battlegroup in Poland.
The missile defense base in Romania was launched in May 2016.
Source: ITAR-TASS 21-06-2017
