Connor Brooke
The number of Russian military planes flying through European airspace has reached an “unusual” amount this week, according to NATO.
On Wednesday, eight Russian aircraft were detected over the North Sea. Those included four bombers and four tanker aircraft flying in formation, according to a NATO statement. Fighter jets from Norway, the United Kingdom, and Portugal were scrambled in response and tracked the planes.
“The bomber and tanker aircraft from Russia did not file flight plans or maintain radio contact with civilian air traffic,” the statement says. “This poses a potential risk to civil aviation as civilian air traffic cannot detect these aircraft or ensure there is no interference with civilian air traffic.”
Several other Russian planes were intercepted over the Black Sea and Baltic Sea over the past two days.
“These sizable Russian flights represent an unusual level of air activity over European airspace,” NATO said.
The unannounced aircraft could cause problems with civilian air traffic, since “Russian military often do not file flight plans, or use their on-board transponders” and can therefore not be detected by civilian air traffic control.
Tensions between Russia and its European neighbors have become increasingly strained this year following its role in destabilizing Ukraine. Moscow annexed Crimea this spring and has boosted the separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine, leading to sanctions and heated rhetoric with the West that have recalled the Cold War.
Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin sharply criticized the United States in a speech to a group of Russia experts in Sochi. He accused the U.S. of trying to “remake the whole world” and undermining security in eastern Europe.
“We did not start this,” Putin said, according to The New York Times. “Statements that Russia is trying to reinstate some sort of empire, that it is encroaching on the sovereignty of its neighbors, are groundless.”
Putin has insisted that Moscow’s role in Ukraine is a response to a coup by Western-backed forces.
According to NATO, it has intercepted Russian planes over Europe more than 100 times this year. That is a three-fold increase over 2013.
[Photo Credit: Sergey Krivchikov – Russian AviaPhoto]
This article was written for Business 2 Community by Connor Brooke.
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The article is about unusual activity by Russian military aircraft (both fighters and bombers), but the photo used is of an American B-1 bomber…not a Russian one.
Russian has a bomber “similar” to US’s B1-B, that is the Tupolev-TU-160 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tupolev_Tu-160
But I agree the picture shows a US B-1, so it is probably a case of mistaken identity.
I guess that is typical of the news agencies because they have someone writing the article and then another person picking a stock photo.
With all the reports of Russian Aircraft flying around the world it is obvious that Putin and Russia is gearing up for a war. Either in a defense if role or just showing strength Russia is not going to back down.
The war will be over before all those jet’s leave the ground, Russia let everything go, but the game winner, 5000 mach 21 icbm’s with evasive rocketry, and thousands more dummy round’s to saturate radar, packing an avg. 11 warhead’s with a 100 x Hiroshima blast each, by by US in under 10 min. These can also be launched from ”black hole” sub’s the best in the world. US air defense Patriot will not be even close to shooting one of these down, as they are much too slow. Even the best in the World S-500 that can shoot 10 tennis balls in space going mach 21, cannot hit a Russian icbm.
Hey Russia and Mr. Putin if you want to be a despot and have one of your planes shot down just keep it up, oh and by the way when the republicans take over you had better watch yourself very closely very good advice!!!!
Oh Bob, I pray you are right and the American public has seen the error of their way.
Yep! If and when a republican get back in office, and that’s a maybe this country will be right back in a major war, and oh by the way “American was attacked “WHILE THE IDIOT BUSH WAS OUT PLAYING WITH HIS HORSES ”. American needs to go forward not back to the same CRAP”. Republicans think people are stupid, but we all know that your about the world knows what your about. In a major war with Russia the world loses not just a country the world. You people kill me defending your country’s like you can win a nuclear war we all lose.
Waiting for the day when the US or NATO drops a few of the Russian jets when one or more violates restricted or national airspace…
Come on Putin. Quit pussyfooting around. Either do it, or STFU.
Senior Putin is completely correct. The buzz in this article is solely for the benefit of the nitwits who have wet dreams about Patton entering Moscow with a tank. A sales job – look, look, we need more junk !
I guess you never read the translated version or heard of the book, Mein Kampf. Tell a story long enough and people start to believe it. Putin is doing nothing more but trying to deflect attention away from his incursion into crimea. It is the same principle used in Rules for Radicals, Obama’s handbook for success. It is all a matter of record – you should do more reading John of something other than the popular news articles of the day. Then you would know more about the current chess game going on – at least you would know more than what was taught in 6th grade history class.
perhaps if they shot them down one day it would stop. All this ass from Russia knows is power and he needs to be stopped.
Oh, really, go ahead!!!
let that idiot keep spending that money, each flight cost thousands, Russian is on it way to the poor house, and Vlad is driving the car!
it would be enough to drop the crude oil price to 50$ or less and they would stop flying provoking and harassing peaceful nations instantly
Yup,
That is definitely a USAF B-1B Lancer.
Shows the lack of attention to detail when it comes to compiling an article. But what do you expect from the media these days? Unfortunately, too many Americans will accept the image as a Russian aircraft.
Will the writer make a correction. Probably not.
We actually read comments and correct accordingly. The image has been changed to a Russian bomber.
russia,mr putin you don’t
have a clue, just because our president is weak doesn’t mean America is weak.We will see what the out come will be .I feel sorry for the out come.russia will be burn’t to ash so will we.