MOSCOW — The Russian military conducted broad drills in the Mediterranean Sea on Friday, including jets capable of carrying hypersonic missiles, in a show of force in the wake of an incident with a British destroyer in the Black Sea.
The Russian maneuvers in the eastern Mediterranean, which began on Friday, coinciding with the presence of a British carrier strike group in the area. British and American F-35 warplanes from HMS Queen Elizabeth performed combat missions against the Islamic State organization earlier this week.
A pair of MiG-31 fighter planes capable of carrying Kinzhal hypersonic missiles landed at a Russian airbase in Syria and performed flights simulating strikes on targets in the Mediterranean, according to the Russian Defense Ministry. In the coastal region of Latakia, the Hemeimeem airfield serves as the major center for Moscow’s activities in the nation.
It’s the first time Kinzhal-carrying airplanes have been deployed beyond Russia’s boundaries.
The Kinzhal travels at ten times the speed of sound and has a range of up to 2000 kilometers, according to the military (about 1,250 miles).
The Russian military has upgraded Hemeimeem’s runway to handle large bombers and built a second one to increase operations.
Russia has also enlarged and upgraded a naval base in the Syrian port of Tartus, which is presently Russia’s sole such station outside of the former Soviet Union.
Commodore Steve Moorhouse, speaking to reporters onboard HMS Queen Elizabeth on Sunday, said the eastern Mediterranean has grown more “congested and disputed” as a result of the increased Russian military presence in Syria, which has resulted in regular contacts with Russian ships and airplanes. A Russian vessel has approached the carrier within 10 kilometers (16 miles), he said.
Russia condemned the Defender’s action as a provocation and warned that if invading vessels tried to test the Russian military’s resolve again, it might be fired at.
Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov, a spokesperson for the Russian Defense Ministry, mocked British allegations that the Russian military fired warning rounds at the Defender on Friday, urging Britain and its allies not to “tempt fate.” The Defender is “simply a tasty target for the Black Sea Fleet’s missile weapons,” he continued.