Norwegian foreign minister on strikes on Russian airfields: Ukraine has every right to respond
Norway's Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide has reiterated Ukraine's right to self-defence following a series of drone strikes on Russian airfields on Sunday 1 June.
Source: NRK, a Norwegian public broadcasting company, as reported by European Pravda
Details: Eide pointed out that it was Russia that launched the full-scale war in 2022. "Ukraine, of course, has every right to strike military facilities across the territory of Russia," he said.
The foreign minister added that Ukraine is adhering to international law and targeting legitimate military sites, whereas Russia frequently strikes Ukrainian cities, causing destruction and killing civilians.
He also noted that despite the fact that some Russian targets relatively close to Norway had been hit, there is no reason to believe that Norwegian security is under threat.
Background:
On the afternoon of 1 June, a series of strikes took place targeting Russia's Aerospace Forces at no fewer than four airfields.
Sources told Ukrainska Pravda that the operation, which was carried out by the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU), had hit around 40 aircraft, particularly strategic bombers.
A source in the SSU told Ukrainska Pravda that the special operation, codenamed Pavutyna (Spiderweb), had been in preparation for over 18 months. The plan involved smuggling first-person view drones into Russia, followed by mobile wooden crates in which the drones were concealed.
"When the time was right, the roofs of the crates were opened remotely and the drones took off to strike the Russian bombers," the source said.
News of the destruction of the Russian aircraft emerged on the eve of the Ukraine-Russia negotiations scheduled for 2 June in Istanbul.
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