Putin: US aircraft involved in Black Sea UK incident

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

By DARIA LITVINOVA and VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that a U.S. reconnaissance aircraft was operating in sync with a British destroyer during last week’s Black Sea incident in what he described as a “provocation” to test Moscow’s response.

Moscow said one of its warships fired warning shots and a warplane dropped bombs in the path of British destroyer Defender on June 23 to force it out of an area near the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia annexed in 2014. Britain denied that account, insisted its ship wasn’t fired upon and said it was sailing in Ukrainian waters.

Asked if the incident could have triggered World War III, Putin said that it was hardly possible even if Russia had sunk the British warship because Western powers knew they couldn’t emerge as winners in a global conflict.

Speaking during a live call-in show, Putin said that the U.S. aircraft’s apparent mission was to monitor the Russian military’s response to the British destroyer. He added that Moscow was aware of the U.S. intentions and responded accordingly to avoid revealing sensitive data.



Russian President Vladimir Putin attends his annual live call-in show in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, June 30, 2021. Speaking in a live call-in program Wednesday, Vladimir Putin has voiced hope that the country could avoid a nationwide lockdown amid a surge of new infections. (Sergei Savostyanov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)


Read more: https://apnews.com/article/europe-russia-coronavirus-pandemic-health-business-3581667136e1cabd6a19d5fcf5bec531

[marble falls]

1. Right. And the all the Russian aircraft wandering into US and Canadian airspace are just ...

... ooopsies.

[-misanthroptimist]

2. Why would anyone believe Putin about anything?

Ever?

[oasis]

3. STFU Pooty Poot.

don't bite off more than you can chew.

[lark]

4. Liar, liar, country on fire.

His schtick is old and tired.

[Icono Classless Jerk]

5. You're economy is in the Shitter

Outside Moscow and St. Petersburg, you're a Third World country, Vlad. And your own support among Russians is in decline.

So just shut the Hell up, Mayor Potemkin!

[oldsoftie]

6. Your rust buckets would be at the bottom in short order

Yes, Russia is a formidable force. But they are mostly conscripts, unmotivated, poorly trained & armed with inferior equipment.
Yes, they would inflict damage to opposing forces. But if the forces were UK, US, FR, etc, they would certainly feel the hurt far deeper

[Aristus]

10. That's what the Nazis thought in 1941.

We challenge the bone-deep, ineradicable patriotism of the Russian people at our peril...

[IronLionZion]

13. Germany reached the outskirts of Moscow at that time

Russia was not doing well until Japan brought the US into the war with Pearl Harbor.

Russia has vast lands to retreat to but NATO can probably keep them out of Europe. The real question is where to draw the line. NATO might let them have some more land from Ukraine, Georgia, or other former Soviet countries.

[oldsoftie]

14. We wouldnt be trying to conquer the land;

just defeat the military. HUGE difference. Hitler was trying to take over the entire country & their people.

[SunSeeker]

15. The Russian winter beat back the Nazis as much as anything else.

20 million Russians were slaughtered. The rows upon rows of mass graves in Russia from WW II are truly stunning. The German offensive began in mid-August 1941. By late September German troops had reached St. Petersburg and by early December they reached Moscow. But then the Russian winter hit. German planners had failed to equip their troops for winter warfare. They did not provide sufficient food and medicines, as they had expected their military personnel to live off the land of a conquered Soviet Union at the expense of the local population. But the local population had nothing. Consequently, the starving, freezing Germans forces—overstretched along the 1,000 mile Eastern Front—became vulnerable to Soviet counterattack.

[paleotn]

18. This isn't the 1940's

[mountain grammy]

7. fuck putin..

[2Gingersnaps]

8. Sorry, not sorry,

The United States is back, and so is NATO. You aren't the first person to give tRump a boatload of money and not get what you paid for. Well, you did for four years....but that's over now. And since the Manhattan DA and a Federal prosecutor are following the money that Rod Rosenstein stood in the way of for four years, hope that money wasn't backing loans. Um, actually I do, I hope you expect to be repaid. tRump lesson #2, don't hold your breath on loan repayment.

[malthaussen]

9. So what?

Ah, I love the posturing and sabre-rattling (from both sides, of course).

Best comment on the incident I've seen was from somebody from Taiwan, who wrote "That's Tuesday in the South China Sea."

-- Mal

[Javaman]

12. exactly. nt

[pwb]

11. We can kick Russia's ass with one finger.

Putin is like Saddam Hussein all talk.

[SunSeeker]

16. Go to hell Putin, you murderous piece of shit.

And take TFG with you.

[LudwigPastorius]

17. Another short-fingered vulgarian...

Take Trump, add a modicum of intelligence, discipline, and competence, and you get Putin, a successful egomaniacal, murderous dictator.

[Sapient Donkey]

20. I saw a video of Putin talking on some news Russian news show

He said even if they sank the British warship there wouldn't have been a world war, because those would escalate know that world war would be bad for them.... or something along those lines.

I mean, I would personally hope we don't have a world war. That sort of language and attitude is concerning no matter who it comes from. I don't have the same faith that neither side would escalate if ships start getting sunk. I would prefer none of our world leaders view the sinking of naval vessels as no big deal.

[LudwigPastorius]

21. Game theory...

Putin is counting on proportional reciprocity if he sank a British ship.

However, during an outbreak of hostilities, things frequently happen which cannot be predicted. You can’t rely on making the correct decisions when you have incorrect or incomplete data. It’s called the fog of war for good reason.

That evil troll is playing a very dangerous game.

[paleotn]

19. Yea, whatever, Puti.