The exercises of the Russian military in the Mediterranean Sea were a harsh signal for Great Britain, journalists from the Brazilian newspaper Folha de S. Paulo noted.
The situation in the Black Sea region has escalated against the backdrop of the Sea Breeze – 2021 NATO exercise, which will be held from June 28 to July 10 with the participation of 4,000 servicemen and 40 warships, boats and auxiliary vessels from Ukraine, the United States, Great Britain, Turkey and other countries. Brazilian journalists called the maneuvers “a major provocation against Russia”.
In addition, the situation in the Black Sea was affected by the incident with the British destroyer Defender, which on June 23 violated the Russian border near Cape Fiolent. Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the military objectives pursued by London were obvious. Folha de S. Paulo journalists believe that in this way Britain wanted to demonstrate its unwillingness to recognize the Crimean peninsula as part of the Russian Federation.
The experts of the publication note that the Black Sea is one of the most tense regions, where the interests of various countries collide. In their opinion, Russia gave a tough response to the exercises of the North Atlantic Alliance by organizing maneuvers in the Mediterranean Sea, which is strategically important for the West.
The exercises of Russian military personnel are not as large-scale as Sea Breeze – 2021, but for the first time in the course of training, the Russian Federation upgraded MiG-31K fighter-interceptors armed with the latest Dagger hypersonic missiles. In addition, against the backdrop of the Alliance’s maneuvers, the Black Sea Fleet aviation conducted exercises for Ka-27 helicopters.