Russian Fighter Jets Harass NATO Aircraft Over Syria, 'Dangerous and Unprofessional'

Isaiah Richard, Tech Times 07 July 2023, 08:07 pm

Russia is back at it again with its aggressive tactics and dishonorable behavior, and this time, its fighter jets are harassing NATO aircraft in the Middle Eastern country of Syria. In the past 48 hours, there were several reports of as many as six NATO aircraft facing harassment from Russian forces in the air, engaging in dangerous advancements.

It has been well over a year since Russia's attack on Ukraine and this remains an ongoing conflict in the present, now displaying more erratic behavior against other countries as well.

Russian Fighter Jets Harass NATO Aircraft Over Syria

(Photo : ALEXANDER NEMENOV/AFP via Getty Images)

According to a recent statement from Lt Gen Alex Grynkewich, commander of the US Air Force Central Command, Russians have engaged NATO aircraft in the Islamic state amidst the recent mission of the United States.

"Russian military aircraft engaged in unsafe and unprofessional behavior Thursday, 9:30 A.M. local time, while interacting with U.S. MQ-9 drones carrying out our D-ISIS mission in Syria."

This act of aggression had faced "Russian aircraft dropped flares in front of the drones and flew dangerously close, endangering the safety of all aircraft involved," said Lt Gen Grynkewich.

Russian's Dangerous Behavior is a Trend

It was not the first time that Russia did this, as according to Interesting Engineering, the act has become a trend from Russian forces to disrupt operations and endanger the aircraft present.

As per the US Air Force Central Command, "This is the second instance of dangerous behaviors by Russian pilots within the past 24 hours, with the first happening Wednesday at approximately 10:40 A.M. local time."

Lt Gen Grynkewich is now asking the Russians to refrain from these kinds of behavior displayed against NATO aircraft, especially as it is part of an ongoing mission.

"These events represent another example of unprofessional and unsafe actions by Russian air forces operating in Syria, which threaten the safety of both Coalition and Russian forces. We urge Russian forces in Syria to cease this reckless behavior and adhere to the standards of behavior expected of a professional air force so we can resume our focus on the enduring defeat of ISIS."

The Aggression from Russia

The overwhelming Russian forces have dealt a great deal of despair and hardships for Ukraine and the world, especially with their recent actions which are highly endangering the lives of everyone, including its citizens. Recently, the Eurasian country has been jamming GPS signals in the Baltic regions and Estonia, with pilots forced to rely on alternative methods for their navigation systems.

A threat was also imposed by the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, saying that Moscow is ready at any time to deploy depleted Uranium weapons to its enemies. This was in response to the US-Ukraine deal where the Americans would supply the European country with the same potent weapons for their defense needs against its aggressor.

Most recently, Russia took down the famous long-range missile designed by the British, best known as the Storm Shadow, and is now in possession of the military tech originally gifted to Ukraine. It is moving its focus from Ukraine to other nations in the world, particularly for the intergovernmental military alliance, NATO, over at Syria.