The Russian defense minister Sergei Shoigu has visited Syria to inspect naval drills involving 15 warships and 30 aircrafts taking place in eastern Mediterranean Sea and also meet president Assad of Syria.
The drills are part of many Russian military drills taking place amid tensions and standoff with the west over Ukraine and security architecture of Europe, Russia deployed aircrafts equipped with hypersonic missiles in drills taking place in Syria.
Russia is carrying out Navy drills involving all Russian fleets from Pacific region, Black Sea, Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea, drawing on more than 10,000 service men, 140 warships and dozens of warplanes.
Sergei Shoigu met with president Assad of Syria and informed him about the Navy drills that are taking place in Syria in East part of Mediterranean Sea. The two also discussed about military-technological cooperation as part of joint fight against International terrorism and humanitarian assistance to the people of Syria suffering from prohibitive sanctions from the U.S and Western countries.
Sergei Shoigu the Russian defense minister says that the drills are ment to train action to protect national security and fend off a military threat against the Russian federation.
Russia deployed its Tu-22 M3, a long range nuclear capable bomber and mig-31 fighter jets carrying the lastest kinzhal hypersonic cruise missiles to Syria’s coastal province of Latakia as part of on going drills in eastern Mediterranean Sea.
According to the Russian military, the kinzhal hypersonic cruise missile has a range of up 2000 km( 1250 miles) and can travel at 10 times the speed of sound which makes hard to intercept or defend against.
The deployment of kinzhal hypersonic cruise missiles in Syria is intended to showcase Russia’s military capabilities against the US department of aircraft carrier groups in Mediterranean Sea. According to the Russian military, the drills were practicing on how to destroy enemy ships.
The Russian military intervened in Syria in 2015 as Assad government was on verge of being overthrown which was able to turn the tide in Assad’s favour in a war which started in 2011 during US supported Arab spring.
Tensions between the west and Russia has been running high since 2009 but the relations worsened in 2014 during Ukrainian protest that overthrew the Russian backed government in kyiev and the annexation of Crimea by Russia through a referendum but never accepted by the west which imposed sanctions on Russia.
Since last year in December, US and its allies have been telling us that Russia was planning to invade Ukraine the accusation Russia denies even though it put forward demands which included Ukraine not joining NATO to US and NATO concerning its security which were also rejected by NATO as non starters.
Diplomatic efforts have been on going inorder to find a solution over Ukraine crisis that is threatening the stability of Europe which has lasted for more than 75 years.
