Putin’s aide calls for maintaining combat readiness of Russian Navy

Commercial vessels arriving at Russian ports are regularly found carrying magnetic mines attached to their hulls, Russian presidential aide and chairman of the Maritime Board Nikolai Patrushev stated, while also stressing the need to ensure the combat readiness of Russia’s naval forces.

“We detect and neutralise these mines, but the fact remains. There are also suspicions that the mines are being attached in European ports,” Patrushev said in an interview with the Rossiyskaya Gazeta. According to him, the devices effectively turn merchant ships into floating mines.

In the interview, Patrushev also emphasised that Western countries are considering pre-emptive strikes against Russian Navy bases. He added that Russian naval vessels should themselves operate “under the nose of a potential adversary.”

“There is no need to wait for the moment when NATO ships, aircraft, and drones appear near our maritime borders — they are already seeking to maintain a permanent presence there. On the contrary, we should be the ones operating under the nose of a potential adversary. A good example is the escort of merchant vessels by our Navy through the English Channel, literally off the coast of England. Not a single British ship or aircraft even made a move to intercept our convoy,” the chairman said.

By Jeyhun Aghazada