Russia to Raise Firepower in South to Neuter NATO Air ‘Threat’ – Newsweek

Russias Defense Ministry has vowed to increaseits firepower in its southern regions near Ukraine and the Black Sea, in response to U.K. jets in Romania.

The Royal Air Force (RAF) currently runs patrols on behalf of NATO ally Romania, with four Typhoon jets deployed near the Romanian port city of Constanta. London made the deployment in April, just as the U.S. deployed two of the worlds most advanced warplanes, the F-22. One of the RAFs jets scrambledon Tuesday to track a group of Russian bombersflying across the Black Sea.

Related: How do the new U.S. sanctions on Russia work, and why is Europe worried?

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The tailing was at such a distance that the Russian Ministry of Defense claimed it did not even see the Typhoon, though Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced on Wednesday at a conference of military officials that Russia needed to beef up measures in the region regardless.

Under these circumstances, Russia is forced to take symmetrical measures for neutralizing the emerging threat for national security, conducting actions for strategic containment and raising the battle capabilities of Russias Southern Military District, Shoigu said.

Shoigu did not say what the measures would be but usedthe recentU.S.-lead Sea Breeze drill conducted with Ukraineas a reason why Russia needed to reinforce further. NATO has repeatedly denied its limited multinational reassurance measures are intended to be aggressive towardRussia.

Over the last half a year the Southern Military District received over 600 units of combat equipment, Shoigu said, state news agency Itar-Tass reported. The battle training of the staff and the preparation of the military authority is being perfected constantly.

He indicated that the high rate of exerciseswould continue.

The Black Sea and the Southern Military District is currently one of the crucial areas for Russia, which borderstwo nations on whose territory it has deployed troopsUkraine and Georgia.

Three NATO states sit on an extensive share of the Black Sea coastline. As ties between Russia and the NATO alliance have soured over Crimea, Black Sea waters have seen a handful of tense encounters between Russian and Western personnel.

Among the more spectacular was a near miss between a U.S. aircraft and a Russian jet jumping to escort it, getting within 10 feet for the U.S. jet.

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Russia to Raise Firepower in South to Neuter NATO Air 'Threat' - Newsweek