MOSCOW (RIA Novosti): The commander of the US Navy in Europe and Africa, Admiral Robert Burke, told in which case NATO forces will open fire on Russian ships in the Black Sea. He is quoted by Business Insider .
According to the military, when a foreign plane flies near NATO destroyers, the commanders independently decide whether they are preparing to attack or not.
“It can be argued that they (the Russians. – Ed.) Provoke us to strike first. We are not going to do this first without provocation, but at the same time I am not going to demand that my commanders take the first blow to the jaw.” Admiral Robert Burke said.
As the admiral specified, the Russian Navy constantly accompanies NATO ships operating in the region.
Such interactions are mostly safe and professional, he said.
The commander of the US Navy in Europe and Africa, Admiral Robert Burke noted that Russia has largely modernized its military, especially its submarines, and has also learned from the United States wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
At the end of June, the forces of the North Atlantic Alliance made several provocations off the coast of Crimea.
The Department of Defense reported that on 23 June the British Navy destroyer Defender crossed the country’s border near Cape Fiolent. The Russian military had to open warning fire to escort the intruder away.
The next day, the Dutch Navy frigate Evertsen, which was in neutral waters, began to move towards the Kerch Strait . In order to prevent violations of the Russian borders, the military raised Su-30 fighters and Su-24 bombers into the air . After that, the ship changed course.
