March 15, 2023 4:25 p.m
Assad to Putin: “Support for ‘special operation'”
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad reiterated his support for Russia’s war in Ukraine during his Kremlin meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. “I would like to take this opportunity as it is my first visit (since the beginning of the war) and reiterate Syria’s position in support of the special operation,” the Syrian President said, as reported by RIA Novosti.
March 15, 2023 4:20 p.m
“Moscow has plan to govern Moldova by 2030”
Moscow has developed a strategy to destabilize Moldova, bring it under its political control and alienate it from Western partners by 2030, according to an internal strategy document from Putin’s presidential administration seen by a media consortium including the Süddeutsche Zeitung and Yahoo News. The text, drafted in 2021, comes from the same “Presidential Directorate for Cross-Border Cooperation” that drew up a similar strategy for Belarus. The ultimate goal by 2030 is the “creation of stable pro-Russian influence groups in Moldova’s political and economic elites”.
March 15, 2023 3:22 p.m
Austin in Moscow: “We will not stop flying where allowed”
“This dangerous episode is part of a pattern of aggressive, risky and unsafe actions by Russian pilots in international airspace. Let me be clear, the United States will continue to fly and operate wherever international law allows. And it’s up to Russia to use its military aircraft safely and professionally,” Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin warned at the opening of the tenth meeting of the Contact Group on Ukraine, commenting on the collision between a Russian jet and a US drone on the plane Black Sea.
March 15, 2023 3:02 p.m
Moscow: “We will try to recover the American drone”
Russia will try to recover the remains of the American drone that crashed in the Black Sea yesterday, National Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev said. “I don’t know if we’ll be able to do it, but we have to try,” Patrushev said, quoted by RIA Novosti news agency.
March 15, 2023 1:21 p.m
White House: “US drone may never be recovered”
The US MQ-9 surveillance drone that crashed in the Black Sea has not been recovered and may never be recovered, White House spokesman John Kirby told CNN. “It has not been restored. I’m not sure if we’ll get it back. Where it fell into the Black Sea is very deep water. So we’re still checking if there might be some sort of recovery effort. And maybe not,” Kirby said. And he added: “We’ve done our best to minimize the intelligence value that could arise if someone else gets their hands on this drone.”
March 15, 2023 1:18 p.m
Media: “US drone shot down by Russians flew out of Romania”
The US MQ-9 Reaper drone took off from Romania and was flying about 7,500 meters above the Black Sea when it was intercepted by Russian jets. Several media outlets reported it, including the New York Times and ABC News, which quoted a US Air Force official. Drones of this type usually take off from the NATO bases Câmpia Turzii (Romania), Larissa (Greece) and Signonella (Italy).
March 15, 2023 1:15 p.m
Russian 007 boss: “We know our targets in the Black Sea well”
“We are actively conducting reconnaissance in the Black Sea area using various technologies. Russia knows very well what intelligence targets we are pursuing in the Black Sea region.” This was stated by the head of the Russian secret service, quoted by TASS, after a Russian jet collided with a US drone yesterday.
March 15, 2023 1:08 p.m
Jet drone crash, EU: ‘It’s a bilateral matter between the US and Russia’
The Black Sea incident between an American drone and a Russian jet is “a bilateral matter” between two countries. This was announced by a spokesman for the European Commission on request. “We emphasize that this would not have happened if Moscow had not invaded Ukraine and that this is not the first incident involving the Russian military,” he added.
March 15, 2023 1:07 p.m
Putin: “We will increase economic freedom in response to sanctions”
“We will respond to all actions by our opponents against Russian companies by expanding economic freedom,” said Russian President Vladimir Putin, quoted by Interfax.
March 15, 2023 1:06 p.m
Putin: “Russia is doing a great job to create new weapons”
Russia is working intensively to build new arms production capacities. This was stated by Russian President Vladimir Putin, quoted by Tass.