Aviation

Russia Talks Tough, Tells US to “Deal With It” in Plane Flyby

Russia has responded to US officials after one of its warplanes performing an “unsafe” maneuver Monday by reportedly coming within 5 feet of a Navy spy plane over the Black Sea. Their response is basically…to deal with it.

The incident, which reportedly lasted more than two-and-a-half hours, occurred when a U.S. Navy EP-3E Aries II surveillance plane neared the Crimean Peninsula, a former Ukrainian territory controversially annexed by Russia in 2014. The Russian military dispatched a Sukhoi Su-27 fighter jet, forcing the Navy spy plane to end its mission early. Facing backlash from its U.S. counterpart, the Russian Defense Ministry said Thursday it had acted well within its rights and that the Pentagon should get used to such incidents if U.S. aircraft did not respect Russian boundaries.

“The Aerospace Force will continue to maintain the reliable protection of Russian airspace, the ministry said in a statement carried by the state-run Tass Russian News Agency.

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Russia has responded to US officials after one of its warplanes performing an “unsafe” maneuver Monday by reportedly coming within 5 feet of a Navy spy plane over the Black Sea. Their response is basically…to deal with it.

The incident, which reportedly lasted more than two-and-a-half hours, occurred when a U.S. Navy EP-3E Aries II surveillance plane neared the Crimean Peninsula, a former Ukrainian territory controversially annexed by Russia in 2014. The Russian military dispatched a Sukhoi Su-27 fighter jet, forcing the Navy spy plane to end its mission early. Facing backlash from its U.S. counterpart, the Russian Defense Ministry said Thursday it had acted well within its rights and that the Pentagon should get used to such incidents if U.S. aircraft did not respect Russian boundaries.

“The Aerospace Force will continue to maintain the reliable protection of Russian airspace, the ministry said in a statement carried by the state-run Tass Russian News Agency.

“Should American pilots, knowing this fact, fall into depression or succumb to any phobias, we advise the U.S. side to exclude these flight routes near Russia’s borders in the future, or return to the negotiating table and agree on their rules,” it added.

The Russian’s tough talk shouldn’t come as a surprise, they are routinely breaking every agreement that they’re entered into with the U.S. The agreed upon overflights of each country routinely have Russian planes flying over U.S. soil, even buzzing Washington D.C. and they routinely deny the U.S. the same agreed upon flights in Russia.

The Russians also break the agreed upon no-fly borders in Syria where both sides are fighting ISIS in the middle of the Syrian Civil War. And with all the in-fighting in Congress over the Russian bogeyman, they smell weakness and will continue to push until compelled to stop.

To read the entire article from Newsweek, click here:

Photo courtesy Wikipedia

About Steve Balestrieri View All Posts

Steve is a SOFREP Senior Editor. He has served as a Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer before injuries forced his early separation. He writes for SOFREP and covers the NFL for PatsFans.com and his work was regularly featured in the Millbury-Sutton Chronicle and Grafton News newspapers.

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