Putin Announces Permanent Patrols by Hypersonic Weapons-armed MiG-31 over Black Sea

Russian President Vladimir Putin has revealed that Russian MiG-31 aircraft equipped with the Kinzhal hypersonic complex will be engaged in regular patrols over the neutral airspace of the Black Sea.

This announcement came during a press conference held on Wednesday, wherein the President emphasized that this move should not be perceived as a threat.

Speaking to reporters, President Putin stated, "This is not a threat, what I am now announcing - on my instructions, the Aerospace Forces are beginning to patrol on a permanent basis in the neutral zone of airspace over the Black Sea, and our MiG-31 aircraft are armed with Kinzhal complexes."

The Kinzhal, nicknamed the "Dagger," is an aviation system with a high-precision hypersonic missile, derived from the upgraded MiG-31 fighter-interceptor, capable of targeting and hitting objectives over 2,000 kilometers away, according to Russian military claims.

President Putin further elaborated on the capabilities of the Kinzhal complex during the press conference, saying, "They are known to have a range of over 1,000 kilometers at a speed of Mach 9. I warned that this is not a threat, but we will carry out visual control, control with weapons of what is happening in the Mediterranean Sea."

This announcement follows previous reports indicating that ten MiG-31K aircraft, equipped with the Kinzhal modification, have been on experimental combat duty in the Southern Military District since April 2018, primarily patrolling over the Caspian Sea. Additionally, the Russian military has disclosed its plans to outfit the Kansky Regiment, located in the Krasnoyarsk Territory, with these Kinzhal-equipped aircraft by the year 2024.

The Kansky Regiment, armed with the Kinzhal complex integrated into the MiG-31 aircraft, is an integral component of the long-range aviation division of the Russian Aerospace Forces. This information was shared by the Commander of Long-Range Aviation, Sergei Kobylash, during an interview with the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper in December 2022.

While President Putin's announcement emphasizes the intent to maintain visual and weapon control in the neutral airspace over the Black Sea, the deployment of the Kinzhal-equipped MiG-31 aircraft raises questions and concerns among international observers about the evolving dynamics in the region.