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Diplomat calls Kiev’s attempts to carry out missile tests in Russian airspace ‘dangerous’

Ukraine’s missile tests near the border with Crimea began on Thursday morning

ALANYA/Turkey/, December 1. /TASS/. Ukraine’s attempts to use Russia’s airspace to carry out missile launches are a "very dangerous precedent," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexei Meshkov told reporters on Thursday.

"We all know the story of Ukraine’s air defense, that’s why such attempts create problems for passengers," the diplomat said.

"Such attempts are a very dangerous precedent," he added.

Ukraine’s missile tests near the border with Crimea began on Thursday morning. The Russian aviation watchdog Rosaviatsia earlier said that Ukraine had unilaterally decided in violation of all international treaties to hold missile launches in Russia’s sovereign airspace near Crimea, in the area of civil and government planes’ routes, on December 1-2.

Ukraine issued a new "notification to airmen" (NOTAM) last night to the effect it has moved the high-risk zones westwards, away from Russia’s territorial waters, Rosaviatsia said. The new zones lie over international waters and Russia’s territorial waters are not affected. "This zone is within Russian air traffic controllers’ zone of responsibility, but this will not affect flight safety," he said.