The US armed forces raise serious allegations against the Russian Air Force. According to the United States Central Command, Russian fighter jet pilots are trying to engage American pilots in so-called “dogfights” in the airspace over Syria. The US broadcaster CNN quotes a spokesman for the “Central Command” accordingly. “Dogfights” are duels between two fighter planes in the air.
US Colonel: Russian pilots want to ‘provoke’ Americans
Central Command Colonel Joe Buccino told the broadcaster that Russian pilots are currently trying to “provoke” US pilots with aggressive behavior in order to create an “international incident”.
As an example, the Colonel cites a video from April 2 purporting to show a Russian SU-35 intercepting an American F16 “unsafely and unprofessionally.” In a second case, a Russian jet flew dangerously close to a US jet.
According to CNN, US generals complained to their Russian colleagues about the provocations. The other side also reacted – “although never in such a way that they recognized the incidents as such.” US pilots therefore did not get involved in the provocations and adhered to the relevant protocols, a spokesman emphasized according to “CNN”.
