Wednesday, April 13, 2016

Russian Jets Play Deadly Games on US Navy Ship; Fly So Close to Ship They Created "Wake in Water"

Two Russian attack planes flew dangerously close to a U.S. Navy destroyer, called the USS Donald Cook, in the Baltic Sea on April 11 and 12, the NBC News website reports today (April 13, 2016).

A U.S. official said these actions were "unsafe" and "unprofessional," and described them as among the "most aggressive" acts by the Russians in some time. (Turkey shot down a Russian jet, killing its pilot late last year, because it flew over Turkey on its way to Syria. Turkey, a member of NATO, had previously warned Russia to stop those flights, but Russia continued them.)

The official said that the Russian planes created a "wake in the water" because they flew so close. A Russian KA-27 helicopter also made seven passes on the destroyer and was believed to be photographing the ship.

The U.S. official added that the Cook was clearly in international waters at the time of the incident, explaining that it was operating about 70 miles from Kaliningrad, a Russian province. (Most nations agree that international waters begin after 12 miles from their coasts.)

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