Russian Ambassador to the U.S. Anatoly Antonov has issued stern warnings to the U.S. about F-16s in Ukraine, and drone strikes on Crimea. Included in a statement published on the embassy’s website on May 21, he said, “There is no infrastructure for the operation of the F-16 in Ukraine and the needed number of pilots and maintenance personnel is not there either. What will happen if the American fighters take off from NATO airfields, controlled by foreign ‘volunteers'?” (https://t.me/EmbUSA/3299)
Today, in response to a media question, Antonov admonished against any “thoughtless judgments” about permitting drone attacks on Crimea, saying that attacks on Crimea would be considered by Moscow as an attack on any other region of the Russian Federation. “I would like to warn representatives of the administration against thoughtless judgments on Crimea, especially in terms of `blessing’ the Kiev regime for air attacks on the peninsula. Let me remind you that strikes on this territory are considered by us as an attack on any other region of the Russian Federation. It is important that the United States is fully aware of the Russian response.”
