Russia reports 33 spy flights near border

MOSCOW: Russia has reportedly spotted over two dozen foreign aircraft as well as eight drones on reconnaissance missions near its border in the past week but Russian warplanes did not try to intercept them, a local daily said, citing Moscow’s Defense Ministry.

“According to the defense ministry, 25 foreign aircraft and eight unmanned aerial vehicles conducted reconnaissance near Russian borders,” local newspaper Krasnaya Zvezda reported on Saturday.

“Foreign aircraft and drones were monitored by Russian radars,” added the paper, which is affiliated with the ministry, further quoting the military establishment as saying that “violations of Russian airspace were prevented.”

The news comes as Russia continues to show off its air force and air defenses in addition to conducting operations in Syria amid tensions with the US and the West.

Although planes did not have to be scrambled against the reconnaissance missions, Russia’s defense ministry says that “Russian pilots carried out 218 sorties at 68 aerodromes in the past week.”

The development reflects rising Moscow’s concerns over foreign countries attempting to monitor Russia while it is trying to demonstrate its air defense, radar and monitoring capabilities, according to the report.

This came as US-based Newsweek magazine reported Friday that the American military was preparing for a war with Russia.

While the American media and public focus on Iran, the United States military is preparing for war with Russia, according to an exclusive report by Newsweek.

Pointing to a Nato parliamentary committee report last October that highlighted a dramatic rise in the size and scope of war games held by the US-led military alliance and Russia “in the shadow of the deteriorating European security environment,” the Newsweek report underlined existing concerns over the lack of adequate ground forces in Europe to counter a possible Russian threat.

“The committee worried that Nato doesn’t possess sufficient ground troops in Eastern Europe to deter Russian inference or attack. It also pointed to Moscow’s own high-profile war games, many involving scenarios that include the use of nuclear weapons in a European war,” it stated.

In October last year, the United States military announced plans to hold what is said to be the largest US-led drills in Europe early next year, according to the report by Newsweek.

It further noted that the US European Command (EUROCOM) said on October 7 that 37,000 forces, including some 20,000 American troops, will partake in Defender Europe-20 maneuvers, which are set to be held in April and May 2020.