The use by the Armed Forces of Ukraine of new types of weapons, in particular, the Turkish combat drone Bayraktar, only aggravates the situation on the contact line in Donbass, said the press secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov.
“We see that as soon as such weapons fall into the hands of the military, they can potentially be used in this region of Ukraine, and this only leads to destabilization,” Peskov said.
According to him, the incident "does not contribute to the settlement of the internal Ukrainian problem."
The Kremlin spokesman also assessed the very fact of the supply of combat UAVs to Kiev from Ankara.
“We have really special and good relations with Turkey, but in this case, unfortunately, our fears are confirmed that the supply of such types of weapons to the Ukrainian military could potentially lead to destabilization of the situation on the line of contact,” he explained.
At the same time, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that at the moment reports on the use of Turkish drones are being double-checked by representatives of the Foreign Ministry.
“From the latest statements that the Kiev authorities are gushing with, it is difficult to figure out where is the truth and where is fiction.
Now we are rechecking by all possible means, including in contacts with representatives of Donbass, ”he said.
According to him, preliminary, the incident took place in the village of Staromaryinka, where the Ukrainian provocation was carried out, no victims were recorded.
“In principle, history, of course, should give thought to all those who indulge Ukraine's capricious demands that they should be admitted to NATO tomorrow, and, of course, make those who arm the Kiev regime controlled by neo-Nazis,” Lavrov stressed.
Sergey Lavrov on the use of Turkish UAVs by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Donbass
On the eve of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine published a video of the first use of the Turkish reconnaissance and attack unmanned complex Bayraktar TB2 during the hostilities in the Donbass - an artillery gun was destroyed.
The order to use the drone was given by the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Lieutenant General Valery Zaluzhny.
Kiev indicated that the drone did not cross the contact line.
The Bayraktar TB2 UAV is equipped with a composite body and a Rotax 912 engine with a capacity of 100 hp.
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Its maximum speed is about 250 km / h at a cruising speed of 130 km / h, the service ceiling is 7.3 km.
The drone can be equipped with two UMTAS anti-tank guided missiles or laser-guided gliding bombs MAM-L or MAM-C.
In June, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba announced that Kiev had acquired shock drones from Ankara to "contain" Russia and defend its territory.
At the same time, the head of the Turkish Foreign Ministry, Mevlut Cavusoglu, assured that the supply of Bayraktar TB2 to Ukraine is not directed against Russia.
At the end of September, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and the Turkish company Bayraktar Savunma signed a memorandum on the construction of a joint center for the maintenance and modernization of drones nearby in the Kiev region.
Kiev deliberately violated the Minsk agreements in order to find out the extent of its permitted actions, stated Rodion Miroshnik, a representative of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic in the political subgroup of the contact group.
“The official statement of the top officials of Ukraine on the use of UAVs and the deliberate violation of the Minsk agreements is a challenge and an attempt not in verbal battles, but in practice to find out what else they will be allowed to, how far they can go and how much to become insolent.
For what else they won't get it in their heads and how much they will tolerate, "RIA Novosti quotes him.
In a conversation with Interfax, he also pointed out that the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine "violates the paragraph of the Minsk memorandum on the prohibition of flights of military aircraft and foreign UAVs along the contact line."
As a result of the drone's actions, there are no casualties or casualties among the military and civilian population, said an Interfax source in the security forces of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic.
Also on russian.rt.com "There is no progress on a single point": how Ukraine sabotages the regime of a comprehensive ceasefire
The first deputy chairman of the State Duma committee on international affairs, Oleksiy Chepa, described the actions of the Ukrainian military as a provocation.
“These actions once again show that Ukraine did not fulfill, does not fulfill and, in general, is not very much going to fulfill any agreements related to the Minsk agreements," said the interlocutor of RT.
According to political scientist Ivan Mezyukho, Ukraine continues to pave the way for breaking the Minsk agreements.
“Ukraine is doing everything to destroy this format.
At the same time, the story with Bayraktar itself is more like a propaganda and information operation of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
They are trying to tickle the nerves of the representatives of the DPR and LPR, as well as create informational reasons for, not surprisingly, accusations of violation of the Minsk agreements on the Russian side, ”he said.
In turn, political analyst Alexander Dudchak believes that Ukraine mocks everyone involved in resolving the situation in Donbass.
In his opinion, an adequate response is needed.
“The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine openly declares that they are using equipment prohibited by the Minsk agreements.
And for some reason everyone is silent - the OSCE is silent, Europe is silent, and Ukraine, satisfied with the results of the visit of the US Secretary of Defense, simply goes over all the red lines and common sense.
Ukraine feels its complete impunity and is infinitely impudent.
We need to adequately respond to this, and not just express concern and state the amazing fact that Ukraine, it must be, has again violated the Minsk agreements, "he explained in an interview with RT.