The chief of the French Defence Ministry, Sébastien Lecornu, said the Russian government threatened Paris that it would shoot down French aircraft that were patrolling the international airspace over the Black Sea in January.
Russia threatened France with the destruction of its planes
The head of the French defence ministry has decided not to reveal specific details about the French flights or aircraft that have been threatened.
Despite this, he does not deny that official Moscow is returning to a "particularly aggressive" position, reminiscent of the behaviour of the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
A month ago, to give you a particular example, the Russian air traffic control system threatened to shoot down French planes in the Black Sea when we were in the free international zone where we patrol.
Sebastien Lecornu
French MOD chief
He notes that Russia's behaviour in 2024 has nothing to do with what the world observed in 2022, before the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.
According to the head of the French Ministry of Defence, this can be explained by the fact that the aggressor country found it difficult on the Ukrainian front.
What is known about French patrols over the Black Sea
As mentioned earlier, the pilots of the French Air Force are obliged to patrol the eastern flank of NATO.
What is important to understand is that this is part of the Alliance's efforts to strengthen its defenses after Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine two years ago.
French flights include long-range patrols by AWACS surveillance aircraft.
In addition, it is emphasized that while flying high above the Black Sea coast, they use their powerful radar and other means of observation to look at the Crimean peninsula, which was seized by Russia 10 years ago.
