 Ukraine probes Black Sea plane spat with Russia Kiev (AFP) Feb 2, 2017 - Ukraine on Thursday opened a criminal probe into an incident in which it said one of its military planes was shot at over the Black Sea, but which Moscow condemned as a "dangerous flyby". The general prosecutor in Kiev said in a statement that an attempted murder case had been launched after a Ukrainian Antonov-26 transport aircraft was shot at Wednesday during a training flight over the Black Sea, where Russia operates drilling rigs it took over following its annexation of Crimea in 2014. The fuselage of the plane -- which Kiev insisted was over Ukrainian waters -- had a three-centimetre (1.2 inches) bullet hole, but its crew were not injured in the incident, Defence Minister Stepan Poltorak said Wednesday. Russia's defence ministry said late Wednesday that it had summoned Kiev's military attache in the country to complain over what it said were "two dangerous flybys at an extremely low altitude" over the drilling platforms. "The actions of the Ukrainian plane are viewed as provocative," defence ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said. The incident comes after an upsurge in clashes between pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian forces in eastern Ukraine that has left a reported 21 people dead since Sunday. The fresh clashes in the industrial town of Avdiivka are the worst violence to hit the war-torn region in months. Russia annexed the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea from Ukraine in March 2014, sparking international condemnation. Since then, a conflict between government troops and Russian-backed rebels in Ukraine's east has left nearly 10,000 people dead. Since the annexation of Crimea, Russia has taken over Ukrainian companies in the region, including energy company Chernomorneftegaz which runs drilling operations in the Black Sea. |
NATO is "very closely" monitoring the "increased" influence of Russia in the Western Balkans, alliance Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned Wednesday.
He said NATO had seen "several reports about increased Russian influence" in the region, specifically "about Russian intervention in the political process in Montenegro" ahead of its general election in October last year.
"Of course, this is something we are following very closely," Stoltenberg told reporters during a visit to the Bosnian capital Sarajevo.
Montenegro's police arrested a group of Serbians on the eve of its October 16 vote and accused them of plotting to seize parliament.
Two Russians are wanted for their alleged involvement, and Montenegro's former premier Milo Djukanovic has accused his pro-Russian opposition rivals of being behind the plot, which he said included plans for his assassination.
Stoltenberg said NATO was working with partners in the region to "improve and strengthen their intelligence services".
In the Balkan region, Croatia, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece and Albania are already in NATO while Montenegro is on the brink of joining, with its accession ratified by most of the alliance's 28 members.
Bosnia is a candidate for membership, and Stoltenberg praised the country's "strong commitment" to reforming its defence and security sector, although he called for "even more courageous reforms".
He also said the alliance would "do whatever we can to try to keep tensions down, to avoid any escalation" in the region.
| . |
|
|
Tweet |
del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
Google
