"Firstly, during 2022, the Kharkov Aviation Plant carried out work to modernize the mentioned UAVs with the participation of specialists from the Kiev Design Bureau Luch and US corporation Raytheon Technologies. The range of this drone is up to 1000 kilometers. It is clear in which direction it was planned to be used," Gavrilov told Sputnik on Thursday, commenting on the possible involvement of NATO countries in attack.
According to Gavrilov, "it is well known that the overwhelming majority of targets targeted by neo-Nazis are determined by the Western masters of the Kiev regime."
"The aforementioned Tu-141 Strizh UAVs are aimed at the target using US global satellite system GPS. By the way, the United States and its allies have long been actively using various space systems for reconnaissance and information support of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, including for the purpose of discovering places of deployment, routes of movement and actions of Russian troops. In fact, in Ukraine, in real combat conditions, new methods are being developed for the use of civilian satellite constellations as an element of command of the US Armed Forces," he stressed.
According to Gavrilov, "NATO members are not at all worried that this could provoke significant risks for peaceful space activities and shake its international legal foundations."
"The Russian side has repeatedly pointed out that the United States and its satellites were becoming more and more fixed in the status of participants in the Ukrainian conflict. And now, once again, the facts indicate that NATO member countries really had a hand in Kiev's terrorist provocations against Russian strategic airfields Dyagilevo and Engels with the use of two Soviet-era reactive strike drones Tu-141 Strizh," Gavrilov said, when asked if there was evidence that NATO had been involved in organizing this attack.
In particular, according to Gavrilov, Kiev "actually had a publicly announced order to carry out this perfidious provocation."
He recalled the statement of the Latvian foreign minister on November 30 during the NATO Council at the level of foreign ministers that "possible Ukrainian strikes on military targets deep in Russia's territory would be justified."
"Of course, our army does not leave such terrorist acts unpunished," the head of the delegation added.
Earlier, a high-ranking Ukrainian official in an interview with American newspaper has acknowledged Kiev's responsibility for the attacks on airfields in the Russian regions of Kursk, Ryazan and Saratov.
"These were Ukrainian drones — very successful, very effective," the anonymous official told the newspaper, referring to all three attacks.
This is already the second unofficial confirmation of Ukraine's responsibility for the drone attacks, which took place on Monday and Tuesday. Another anonymous Ukrainian official told another American media that the drones were launched from the Ukrainian territory.
Reporting the attacks, the Russian Defense Ministry said Ukraine used Soviet-made combat drones. The Russian air defense intercepted the drones, but their fragments killed three and injured four Russian servicemen in Ryazan and Saratov on Monday. There were no casualties as a result of the attack in Kursk on Tuesday.
Reporting the attacks, the Russian Defense Ministry said Ukraine used Soviet-made combat drones. The Russian air defense intercepted the drones, but their fragments killed three and injured four Russian servicemen in Ryazan and Saratov on Monday. There were no casualties as a result of the attack in Kursk on Tuesday.