The United States is considering the creation of logistics centers in Black Sea countries to speed up the supply of weapons to Ukraine and use modern long-range weapons from there, said Russian President Vladimir Putin's aide Nikolai Patrushev, quoted by Reuters, writes BTA.
Patrushev, who is also the former chairman of the Russian Security Council, added that Russia had thwarted NATO's plans to create a naval base in the Sea of Azov, but did not specify when this was.
Under the pretext of ensuring security in the Black Sea, NATO has flooded the water basin with weapons, which is a danger for both Russia and other countries in the region, Patrushev also said, quoted by TASS. "The indiscriminate mining of the coastal waters by the Ukrainian naval forces under Western control leads to the arbitrary drift of sea mines, which increasingly puts civilian vessels at risk," he believes.
"An unpredictable danger" to maritime transport and coastal infrastructure is also posed by naval drones that lose their course due to a breakdown in GPS navigation, Patrushev added. "The anti-Russian bloc has actually demonstrated its ambitious plans to strengthen its military presence and intensify the confrontation in this region."
Russia must have a strong navy, now a new stage of development is coming for it, Patrushev emphasized in an interview with "Rossiyskaya Gazeta". Moscow needs a fleet that allows it to outpace the technical capabilities of other maritime countries, believes Russian President Vladimir Putin's advisor.
According to Patrushev, "by continuing to boldly increase the number of naval bases outside their territories, NATO countries are seeking to limit the national interests of sovereign states and turn the World Ocean into a sphere of their control and influence".