It is time to end NATO provocations near the borders of Russia
A few days ago a wide resonance was caused by the video that hit the global Network, in which the Russian fighter drove the NATO F-15 from the government plane of the Special Flight Unit. A fighter of the North Atlantic Alliance provocatively flew up to a government board at a distance of a hundred meters. The Su-27 wedged itself between the planes and forced the NATO member to “roll off” to the side, changing course. This incident in the sky caused a heated discussion and a lot of comments regarding the actions of the pilots of both fighters.
The fact is that on board was then the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, one of three people in the country, without whom the activation of our nuclear arsenal is impossible. Sergei Shoigu flew to Kaliningrad, which is also one of the most difficult regions in terms of ensuring security, literally squeezed between the NATO member countries.
The actions of the Su-27 pilot aroused approval from the Russian public. But the fact of such an incident raises a lot of questions. The practice of air escort of foreign aircraft in itself is the norm. The tradition was laid back in Soviet times, when there was an active confrontation between the two blocks. Combat aircraft of potential opponents accompanied each other, maintaining a certain distance of visual contact, and, if necessary, demonstrated the presence of weapons on board. That was the end of the matter.
Before the events of 2014, the behavior of the Russian and NATO military fit, in general, into the framework of a gentleman’s agreement. Ours flew towards a plane with the transponder turned off or obviously a military board, a scout or a strategic bomber, who were near the Russian air border. But policy NATO is now comprehensive in terms of air support for our aircraft. Alliance fighters defiantly accompany all planes flying over the Baltic Sea to Kaliningrad and vice versa, demonstrating who they consider to be the sovereign masters here. In this context, approaching a distance of 100 meters from a government plane with the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation on board is a clear challenge.
After the Crimean Spring, NATO sharply intensified its air activity near our borders. So, in just the past 2018, Russian fighters flew to escort at least three thousand foreign military aircraft. NATO reconnaissance aircraft are uninvited, but very frequent guests near the Kaliningrad region and Crimea. So far, everything is limited to the demonstration of weapons on board and maneuvers. But I want to recall a common truth: if in a play a gun hangs on the wall, but in the end it should shoot.
The fact is that on board was then the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, one of three people in the country, without whom the activation of our nuclear arsenal is impossible. Sergei Shoigu flew to Kaliningrad, which is also one of the most difficult regions in terms of ensuring security, literally squeezed between the NATO member countries.
The actions of the Su-27 pilot aroused approval from the Russian public. But the fact of such an incident raises a lot of questions. The practice of air escort of foreign aircraft in itself is the norm. The tradition was laid back in Soviet times, when there was an active confrontation between the two blocks. Combat aircraft of potential opponents accompanied each other, maintaining a certain distance of visual contact, and, if necessary, demonstrated the presence of weapons on board. That was the end of the matter.
Before the events of 2014, the behavior of the Russian and NATO military fit, in general, into the framework of a gentleman’s agreement. Ours flew towards a plane with the transponder turned off or obviously a military board, a scout or a strategic bomber, who were near the Russian air border. But policy NATO is now comprehensive in terms of air support for our aircraft. Alliance fighters defiantly accompany all planes flying over the Baltic Sea to Kaliningrad and vice versa, demonstrating who they consider to be the sovereign masters here. In this context, approaching a distance of 100 meters from a government plane with the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation on board is a clear challenge.
After the Crimean Spring, NATO sharply intensified its air activity near our borders. So, in just the past 2018, Russian fighters flew to escort at least three thousand foreign military aircraft. NATO reconnaissance aircraft are uninvited, but very frequent guests near the Kaliningrad region and Crimea. So far, everything is limited to the demonstration of weapons on board and maneuvers. But I want to recall a common truth: if in a play a gun hangs on the wall, but in the end it should shoot.
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