BEIJING, October 18. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir said that he ordered the Russian Aerospace forces to begin permanent patrolling of the Black Sea airspace with planes carrying 'Kinzhal' missiles.
"Under my order, the Russian Aerospace Forces begin patrolling the neutral airspace over the Black Sea on a permanent basis. Our MiG-31 planes are armed with ‘Kinzhal’ systems," the head of state said during a press conference after his visit to China.
Putin specified that "these systems have range of over 1,000 km and speed of up to Mach 9."
"This is not a threat," Putin said, explaining that he merely announced his decision.
The president made his announcement after assessing the US’ actions in Ukraine, pointing out that Washington is getting increasingly involved in the conflict.
"Plus, all this is happening amid the conflict in the Middle East, all this escalates the atmosphere," he stated. "Now, they pulled two aircraft carrier groups into the Mediterranean."
According to Putin, the Russian Aerospace Forces’ patrols will make it possible to carry out visual control and 'control with weapons' over the events in the Mediterranean.
"I warned that this is not a threat, but we will carry out visual control, control with weapons over what is happening in the Mediterranean," the Russian leader underscored, answering a question if his statements will be called a threat in the Western countries.