A FEARSOME
Russian strike on a ship off Syria is a warning by
Vladimir Putin to the West, it is claimed. The dramatic destruction of a patrol boat has been reported as part of a training exercise in collaboration with Syrian forces, according to a pro-Vladimir Putin military website.
A multifunctional
Su-30SM fighter used X-35 anti-ship missiles to blast a decommissioned Petya class Syrian patrol vessel which acted as a target, say reports.
After an explosion when the first strike hits the vessel, a column of fire and smoke rises into the sky.
Fragments fly in all directions.
A second rocket flies into the warship finishing and drowns the target.
The strike was reported as being on April 15 but footage has only just emerged.
If correct, this is the day after the US, Britain and France staged targeted air strikes on Syria, a move which infuriated Russia.
The sinking of the ship was “a warning for the US and NATO fleet”, claimed Rusnevsa, a site highlighting military activities in eastern Ukraine and Syria.
Another account reported that soon afterwards a French naval destroyer in the vicinity moved towards Cyprus, followed by a US warship.
The footage was supposedly shot by a Russian military drone.
However, it has not been released by the defence ministry in Moscow, and there was no independent confirmation.
The threat comes as Britain and America was furious after the European Union failed to get backing from all states for fresh sanctions on Russia.
Chancellor Philip Hammond revealed the block, saying: “I think it’s probably fair to say there are varying degrees of appetite within the EU for further pressure on these individuals.
“One of the challenges working within the European Union is one is required to build a consensus of 28, which frankly means operating at the lowest common denominator.”