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Tag: Russian fighter jet

  • Second US drone ‘attacked’ by Russian fighter plane over Syria

    Second US drone ‘attacked’ by Russian fighter plane over Syria

    This unsettling incident occurred when a Russian fighter jet ‘struck’ a second US drone over Syria in less than 24 hours.

    The sixth alleged incident this month was captured on camera when the plane flew metres away from the MQ-9 Reaper, flared at it, and reportedly damaged it.

    The attack was disclosed by the White House on Wednesday, along with the statement that Russian warplanes had come perilously close to American manned and unmanned aircraft, endangering pilots.

    Unnamed two US officials confirmed that the drone was hit by the strike and suffered damage.

    According to the US, this is when a Russian plane fired flares at their drone above Syria.

    However, neither the incident nor the White House’s strategy for countering Russian aggression were made explicit.

    White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said, “We have seen the reports, the early reports, of a second Russian fighter aircraft this week flying dangerously close to our drone.” The aircraft was on a mission to battle Islamic State extremists in Syria.

    She claimed that Russia violated international conventions by “approaching closely and deploying flares over US drones during a routine mission.”

    It took place only a few hours after a Russian fighter jet fired flares at a US drone over Syria as it flew within a few metres of it.

    But a top Russian military official claimed that the US was at fault for the most recent incident.

    The drone came perilously close to two Russian jets early on Wednesday, according to Rear Adm. Oleg Gurinov, commander of the Russian military’s Reconciliation Centre in Syria.

    According to Gurinov, the Su-34 and Su-35 Russian aircraft‘s onboard systems identified the target aircraft and triggered the automated flare deployment.

    In a statement cited by the Interfax news agency, Gurinov said that “the United States are continuing to mislead the public about the illegal flights of its drones in the Syrian airspace that have not undergone deconflicting procedure while accusing the Russian side of dangerous manoeuvring.”

  • Russian fighter jet nearly crashes into a Polish airplane in its path

    Russian fighter jet nearly crashes into a Polish airplane in its path

    After ‘five metres’ of a Russian fighter jet, a military plane with the EU border agency nearly crashed.

    According to Poland’s border force, an L-410 Turbolet used for surveillance was out on a patrol for Frontex on Friday over the Black Sea.

    Unable to communicate with the Polish plane via radio, a Russian Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jet allegedly flew three times dangerously near to the aircraft.

    The dangerous manoeuvres by the Russian jet allegedly caused the Polish pilots to lose control, forcing them to make an emergency landing in Romania. 

    Government spokesperson Piotr Muller told local media: ‘It looks like a planned provocation by Russia, the crew acted responsibly and luckily nothing happened.’

    He added: ‘We can see that Russia is trying to draw international attention by such provocations.’

    Romanian and Spanish planes have reportedly been put on ‘pre-alert’ by NATO following the incident. 

    Russian jet
    The Russian fighter jet came dangerously close to the Polish surveillance plane three times (Picture: Reuters)

    The perceived provocation came two days before Putin launched a fresh wave of missile attacks against various locations in Ukraine, ahead of tomorrow’s celebration of Victory Day in Moscow, the annual commemoration of Russia’s triumph over Nazi Germany.  

    These included strikes on multiple locations in the capital of Kyiv, as well as in the southern port city of Odessa, the southern region of Kherson, the Zaporizhia region to the southeast and the Sumy region in the northeast. 

    Attacks against Russian targets in Ukraine have also intensified of late, particularly in the Russian-occupied territory in Crimea.

    Though Ukraine has not formally claimed responsibility for these strikes, officials say they’re nevertheless seeking to destroy key enemy infrastructure ahead of launching an imminent large-scale counteroffensive against Russian forces.

    Ukraine hopes this counteroffensive, aimed at liberating remaining territories controlled by Russia, will decisively turn the tide of a war that has lasted 15 months, seen thousands killed and millions displaced.

    During a visit to the Hague, President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed Russian forces had committed more than 6,000 war crimes on Ukrainian soil in April alone.