Russian fighter jets are trying to provoke US jets into dogfights over Syria, top US officials have confirmed.
US military leaders have told their pilots not to respond to the provocations, but admit the dangerous maneuvers are of great concern.
Moscow and Washington have set up a “deconfliction line” to avoid misunderstandings, and regular candid talks between top military staff.
But since the beginning of March, Russian fighter jets have violated deconfliction protocols a total of 85 times. told CNN on Saturday – including flying too close to Coalition bases, not reaching on the deconfliction line and more.
The figure includes 26 instances of armed Russian jets flying over US and coalition positions in Syria.
U.S. officials released videos on April 2 and April 18 showing Russian jets getting dangerously close to their planes.
Lieutenant General Alexus Grynkewich, who heads Air Forces Central Command, said Thursday his pilots faced an “increasingly belligerent” Russia in the skies over Syria
US Air Force pilots and crew walk next to F-16 planes parked on the tarmac. Grynkewich said he had told his pilots not to respond to the Russian provocations
US Air Force F-16 fighter jets prepare to land at an airbase in Ben Guerir, about 50 kilometers north of Marrakesh, during the ‘African Lion’ military exercise in January 2021
The Americans have reached out to their Russian counterparts to discuss the multiple recent incidents: The Russians have responded, the official told CNN, but “never in a way that acknowledges the incident.”
Lieutenant General Alexus Grynkewich, who heads Air Forces Central Command, said Thursday Defense One that Russian planes have been “increasingly belligerent in how they approach us.”
He added: ‘They are aggressively maneuvering against us when our protocols would say to keep several miles apart and just keep an eye on each other.
“They maneuver aggressively, almost as if they’re trying to engage in dogfights, if you will,” Grynkewich said.
“That’s very worrying.”
He said he told his pilots, “Don’t take the bait.”
Grynkewich added: ‘The directive I have given our people is that we are not going to act as they are.
“We’re going to act professionally and we’re going to try to de-escalate the situation.”
The loaded situation was confirmed CNN by Colonel Joe Buccino, a spokesman for the US Central Command.
Colonel Joe Buccino, a spokesman for US Central Command, confirmed the dangerous activities
Two U.S. Air Force B-52H (above L) strategic bombers fly with South Korean Air Force F-35A (above R) and U.S. Air Force F-16 (front) fighter jets during a joint air exercise in South Korea on April 14
A Russian Air Force Sukhoi Su-35 fighter is pictured in September 2019
An official told CNN that the Russians may be trying to “provoke” the US and “engage us in an international incident.”
“It seems to be consistent with a new way of working,” the official said.
General Michael ‘Erik’ Kurilla, head of Central Command, said he has seen a spike in aggressive Russian activity
The US still has about 900 troops in Syria as part of its ongoing campaign to defeat ISIS.
On March 16, General Michael ‘Erik’ Kurilla, head of the Central Command, said he had seen a spike in aggressive Russian activity.
“We’ve seen a significant spike in Syria since about March 1,” General Kurilla told the Senate Armed Forces Committee.
Kurilla has also previously warned that a Russian invasion of Ukraine could spill over into Syria, where Moscow could try to act as a ‘spoiler’.
Kurilla’s comments followed US claims that Russia’s interception of a US drone over the Black Sea last month was part of a pattern of more aggressive behavior by the Russian military.
News of the dogfights came weeks after US central command released videos of Russian fighter jets intercepting US aircraft over Syria on two separate occasions.
The videos show high-quality infrared images of a Russian Su-35 intercepting a US vessel
US Central Command released videos earlier this month of Russian fighter jets intercepting US jets over Syria on two separate occasions
The videos show high-quality infrared images of a Russian Su-35 intercepting a US vessel
The video shows the Russian pilot going within 2,000 feet of the US plane, defying longstanding protocols
The video’s caption calls it “released footage of a Russian Su-35 violating Coalition Force airspace in Syria.”
The video shows the Russian pilot going within 600 meters of the US plane, defying longstanding protocols.
A second lower quality video was recorded on April 2 and shows “a Russian Su-35 conducted an unsafe and unprofessional interception with a US F-16 aircraft.”
Both videos claim that they violated US coalition-controlled airspace over Syria.
“The Russian Su-35 had not yet de-conflicted when it entered the airspace,” AFCENT said in a statement.
This incident follows a pattern of dangerous actions by Russian pilots while interacting with US and coalition aircraft.
“Demonstrate these aggressive actions of Russian aircrew [a] lack of competence and can lead to miscalculation and unintentional escalation.’