Russia rejects criticism of fly-by near U.S. Navy destroyer
U.S. NAVY VIA AP
In this image released by the U.S. Navy, a Russian SU-24 jet makes a close-range and low altitude pass near the USS Donald Cook on Tuesday in the Baltic Sea. The Russian attack planes buzzed the U.S. Navy destroyer multiple times on Monday and Tuesday, at one point coming so close, an estimated 30 feet, that they created wakes in the water around the ship, a U.S. official said Wednesday.
MOSCOW » Russia’s defense ministry has rejected complaints by U.S. officials who said Russian attack planes buzzed dangerously close to a U.S. Navy destroyer in the Baltic Sea this week.
The U.S. European command says the Russian planes buzzed a U.S. ship multiple times Monday and Tuesday in what the U.S. officials described as an unsafe and unprofessional manner.
Secretary of State John Kerry told CNN Espanol that under U.S. military rules of engagement, the Navy ship could have opened fire. He condemned the Russian actions.
Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov, spokesman for the Russian defense ministry, said Thursday that the pilots of Russian Su-24 jets saw the ship and turned back “while using all measures of precaution.” Konashenkov said he was baffled by what he described as the “distressed reaction of our American counterparts.”
The U.S. European Command statement on Wednesday said officials are using diplomatic channels to address the matter.
“It may have been in international waters and therefore may not be any violation of international law, but it is still irresponsible behavior,” said NATO Deputy Secretary General Alexander Vershbow, a former US ambassador to Russia.
“It illustrates that Russia is contributing to tensions,” he said, speaking on the sidelines of a security conference in Kiev, the Ukrainian capital.
49 responses to “Russia rejects criticism of fly-by near U.S. Navy destroyer”
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Be a real shame if one of our sailors happened to be flying a quadcopter drone in the airspace near our destroyer when this happened.
Or doing a live-fire test of sea whiz.
I didn’t think of that. Interesting suggestion. Seriously though, how close do the clowns have to get before the ship defends itself? Unless under orders to sit tight, wouldn’t the captain have been derelict if he allowed such a close approach and been attacked? Also the Russians seem to like harassing the Cook. She is named after a Vietnam War POW who died in captivity. Not exactly something likely to offend the Russians. Or is she just one of those ships that “go in harm’s way” in the tradition of the Navy?
Laser pointers?
Paint Guns?
Should totally issue paintball guns with neon pink balls and warn them the next time they fly by, they will be tagged.
Non-lethal, but wildly embarrassing to come back with your plane with neon pink splotches.
O got sand kicked in his face….again. Normal for O.
Look Kid, as a former captain of two Navy ships said about this incident, “you don’t get to kill people because they’re annoying.”
I don’t see you signing up to be in the first wave of a Russian invasion, so shut your trap.
Defending the indefensible is a tough task…something you can’t handle. btw…how’s the HOPE & CHANGE working out fer ya?
Funny how nothing you said even remotely begins to address my point.
Have you ever offered an alternative solution in your life Keonigohan?
“kid”? typical leftwing response…no substance then turn to name calling.
Funny coming from a guy who entirely relies on personal attacks.
“Tower, this is Ghost Rider requesting a flyby…”
That’s a negative Ghost Rider. The pattern is full.
The Russians were concerned the US Navy sailors had spent too much time at sea, were bored.
So they brought out their 40 year old planes and their senior pilots to give the ship a free ancient air show. No weapons carried externally as the planes are too weak and under powered. Planes are just for show. Toothless old bear.
lets buzz a russian ship with cessna’s.
NO WAY! O is not qualified to respond to this kind of aggression..all O got is his RED LIPSTICK LINE MARKER.
The Russians did the same thing near Japan when Bush was president….
Quiet you. Stop with the facts. The partisan pigs want to wallow in their mud and pretend like they know something.
Introduction of actual knowledge is like draining their feces filled mud pond.
Tough defending a Community organizer yea.
Tough coming up with mindless retorts that ignore the situation as well as historical precedent because your purpose in life is to complain and hate on the President without even bothering to put yourself in his shoes to consider the actual choices.
Keonigohan, you should copyright the phrase, “You did a bad job but I can’t say how I would have done it any other way!”
People like you are basically worthless as you offer nothing to society but negativity but without even the hint of any constructive comments within that negativity. You cannot even provide specific criticism and an alternative solution within that negativity. We should pity your family and if you have a job (doubtful given your attitude), your coworkers.
It’s fine to criticize public figures (and we should). Just give a realistic alternative. You can’t even do that.
choyd…look at your spew…and you want a debate? lol you talking nonsense lol
Keonigohan, thank you for proving my point.
You cannot offer an alternative solution if your life depended on it.
Really is a shame that America is no longer respected around the world. A once feared military is mocked by a “has been” military like Russia. We voted for the man who promised “fundamentally change” America, not once, but twice, and to that extent Obama has been all too successful.
The old adgae…”having a boy do a man’s job” never works out.
adage
Ah, a comment from the ignorant.
While this was unprofessionally dangerous, both NATO and Russia do similar things to each other for decades.
You, in your lack of any education or knowledge, fail to understand that buzzing each other has been ROUTINE since the Cold War.
You’re probably one of those people who freaked out when Bear bombers got within 50 miles of the coast, only to fail to understand that those bombers have the capacity to carry cruise missiles with ranges well over a 1,000 nautical miles.
The Russians did the same thing near Japan when Bush was president…
Cut & Paste…typical Liberal.
That kids, is what the DOE turns out. Keonigohan can’t think nor can he actually provide a counter argument. And he completely ignores how the situation was largely the same with a Republican administration who send over 4,000 Americans to their grave and spent trillions to make Iran the regional powerhouse.
choyd…O stating to the world a date when he’s going to pull out all troops leaving a vacuum for the terrorists to prosper. Try to remember O is not a General but a Community Organizer who knows nothing but only his ideology. That’s all that needs to be said.
Note: No name calling in my post..try to up your spew without the name calling if you can.
So, did Bush get “sand kicked” into his face too?
The Russians do this because they know Obama is weak and will not respond militarily. If US jets did this to a Russian ship they would be shot down.
Say, exactly!! Where’s Reagan when you really need him??
Why does people keep bringing up Reagan when stuff like this happens? Go ahead and look up the USS Stark incident if you want to know what Reagan would do in these types of situations:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Stark_incident
Cause RR torn down a WALL….unlike O who tore down the WALL on the BORDER…very symbolic in opposite ways?
Wikipedia aside, do you think there is a difference between being fired upon and a fly by?
Tell me how it is intelligent and in anyone’s best interest to start a war over something that both sides have done to each other for decades without actual damage or loss of life.
Why is it that the ONLY solution you monkeys (sorry, that’s an insult to monkeys, they’re far more intelligent, reasonable and educated than you) have is to start shooting?
“We maintain the peace through strength: weakness only invites aggression”..R. Reagan.
President Barack Obama had described Assad’s potential use of chemical weapons as “a red line” that would have “enormous consequences” and “change my calculus” on American military intervention in Syria’s civil war…the rest is history.
choyd, I know of many instances where U.S. fighters have escorted Russian (and Chinese) aircraft away from U.S. assets, but I do not recall a recent case where U.S. aircraft took the initiative to aggressively approach a Russian vessel or aircraft anywhere close to the degree shown in this latest incident. Can you point to an example? Comparable photos taken by the Russians of U.S. aircraft should exist if so.
If you read my other posts DeltaDag, I did say that this was overly dangerous and we didn’t do something identical. But NATO has engaged in buzzing Russian ships and air space before to test their response times. Just as they do to us. While Putin is clearly pushing the envelope here, this isn’t something completely new as the no information hacks here are trying to make it out to be.
So Keonigohan, are you capable of offering an alternative or is your sole purpose in life to complain?
choyd..I voted so I can complain about your wrong choices.
choyd, better look back at your earlier post. You said, “While this was unprofessionally dangerous, both NATO and Russia do similar things to each other for decades.” The U.S. remains a member of NATO and nowhere did you say “we didn’t do something identical.” I was just trying to establish whether you could cite ANY specific instance of U.S. aircraft doing to Russian vessels as the Russians did to the USS Donald Cook.
Uh, we’ve been doing slightly less dangerous incidents to Russians since the Cold War.
Perhaps you should get an education before posting? Probably a good idea. Consider it a protip.
So what’s happening in the Baltic Sea?
Russia is just trying to start something like playing a game of chicken. That plane wasn’t even armed too, so they probably told the pilot to see if the US shoots him down and blame them for shooting down an unarmed plane.
They probably had orders like “Do not fire until fired upon…”
Of course, the US Navy hotshot pilots have NEVER done the same thing, right ?? And the Ruskies have NEVER complained, huh ?? Boys and their toys like to have a “little” fun sometimes !! No harm, NO foul !!!
Good thing the plane didn’t hit the ship; if it had, then we would really have a problem.