Navy Releases Full Video Compilation of Russian Fighter Jets Buzzing US Warship

The US Navy has released about a dozen videos that show Russian fighter jets and a helicopter “buzzing” a US Navy destroyer in the Baltic Sea.

The incidents occurred over a two-day period last month, and were first documented in a series of short clips released on YouTube by the Navy. In the newly released footage, which the Navy made public after a Freedom of Information Act request filed by the Virginia Pilot newspaper, you can hear one sailor on the USS Donald Cook say “Oh my God!” as a Russian Sukhoi Su-24 fighter jet makes extremely close passes by the warship.

Navy Admiral John M. Richardson told reporters at the Pentagon last month that he hoped “we can stop this sort of activity.”

“We have deep concerns about the unsafe and unprofessional Russian flight maneuvers,” the Navy said in a statement on April 13. “These actions have the potential to unnecessarily escalate tensions between countries and could result in a miscalculation or accident that could cause serious injury or death.”

The Navy also described the Russian pilots’ actions as a “simulated attack,” while adding that the planes weren’t visibly armed.

The Russian actions violated the terms of a bilateral agreement signed during the Cold War in 1972 by then Navy Secretary John Warner and Soviet Admiral Sergei Gorshkov. The pact prohibits “simulated attacks against aircraft or ships, performing aerobatics or dropping hazardous objects near them.” The two military superpowers drew up the agreement after a “series of close calls.”

Russia’s Defense Ministry shrugged off the Navy’s recent criticism over the recent encounters, saying it was “not consistent with reality.” The Russians have insisted that their pilots did nothing wrong, saying they “performed strictly in accordance with the international regulations on the use of airspace.”

In a book published on Wednesday titled 2017 War with Russia, Sir Alexander Richard Shirreff argues that the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014 signaled that the conditions of the post-Cold War settlement were now moot, and that the region is on track to lapse into all-out conflict.

“Under President Putin, Russia has charted a dangerous course that, if it is allowed to continue, may lead inexorably to a clash with NATO. And that will mean a war that could so easily go nuclear,” US Admiral James Stavridis, who formerly served as the supreme allied commander in Europe, wrote in the book’s foreword, according to the Guardian.

Filing grievance reports with Russia will do little to stop this type of activity. While the United States should not seek military engagement, these types of behaviors will continue and escalate until the U.S. responds with force and makes clear that it will continue to do so. A bully and provocateur such as Putin does not respond reasoning and soft words, he understands force and action. Obama has proven himself to be a total amateur and rollover when it comes to international relations, and the United States will continue to be outfoxed and manipulated until Obama finally leaves the stage. Obama has also significantly drawn down and weakened our military, so responding to Russia will be increasingly difficult for the next president. Power is a difficult thing to manage properly, and Obama has done inestimable damage to our strength and stature in the world.

Source: Vice