American fighters were deployed to Poland as part of military exercises, which has nothing to do with the events taking place on the Russian-Ukrainian border. This was announced on Monday, April 19, by Pentagon spokesman John Kirby.
“This is a standard exercise, and not a response to events taking place on the border of Russia and Ukraine or in the Crimea,” a spokesman for the US military department TASS was quoted as saying.
On Monday, April 19, the head of the Polish Ministry of Defense, Mariusz Blaszczak, on his Twitter page announced that the European Command of the US Armed Forces had deployed several dozen F-15 and F-16 fighters into the country as part of a military exercise.
On April 13, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu spoke about the transfer of US and NATO troops to the borders of the European part of Russia. At the same time, it was noted that the main combat potential is concentrated in the Black Sea region and the Baltic, and the US Armed Forces are strengthening in Poland and the Baltic countries.
On April 14, the chief of the Belarusian General Staff of the Armed Forces, Major General Viktor Gulevich, announced the continuation of NATO activity near the borders of Belarus and Russia.
On April 15, Russia’s Permanent Representative to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Aleksandr Lukashevich said that the frequent NATO maneuvers near Ukraine cause concern.
Izvestia sources in the military department said on April 18 that foreign reconnaissance planes and drones in the past two weeks have sharply intensified flights along the borders of Russia. It was emphasized that in addition to aircraft from the United States and Great Britain, planes from other countries were also seen.