The US military releases declassified video of fully armed Russian warplanes intercepting American jets over Syria on two separate occasions
- One of the videos was recorded on Tuesday and shows high-resolution images
- The two interceptions are part of a larger trend in the Russian-US air conflict
- The Central Command has warned that the war in Ukraine could spread to Syria
The US Central Command on Wednesday released videos of Russian warplanes intercepting American jets over Syria on two separate occasions as tensions between the two nations continue to escalate.
The videos show high-quality infrared views of a Russian Su-35 intercepting an American ship, just a month after General Michael “Erik” Kurilla, head of Central Command, said he had seen a surge in aggressive Russian activity.
“We’ve seen a significant spike in Syria since about March 1,” General Kurilla told the Senate Armed Services Committee on March 16.
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 more aggressive pattern of behavior by the Russian military.
The US Central Command on Wednesday released videos of Russian warplanes intercepting American jets over Syria on two separate occasions as tensions between the two nations continue to escalate
US Air Force Central says armed Russian planes flew 26 times directly over coalition-held areas in Syria between March 1 and April 19 this year.
According to AFCENT, the video was taken Tuesday by a US fighter jet and is similar to videos from the past taken by advanced targeting pods used by US tactical fighter jets, according to The Drive.
The video’s caption calls it “declassified footage of a Russian Su-35 violating coalition forces’ airspace in Syria.”
The video shows the Russian pilot approaching the American jet to within 2,000 feet, which defies longstanding logs.
It has not been made clear what the specific nature of the violation of these protocols was, although the US and Russia have long had conflict reduction agreements in Syria, but American officials have admitted they are often violated.
A second, lower-quality video was shot on April 2 and shows “a Russian Su-35 conducting an unsafe and unprofessional interception with a US F-16 aircraft.”
Both videos claim they violated US coalition-controlled airspace over Syria.
“The Russian Su-35 was not yet deconflicted when entering the airspace. This incident follows a pattern of dangerous actions by Russian pilots when interacting with US and coalition aircraft.’
The videos show high-quality infrared views of a Russian Su-35 intercepting an American plane
General Michael “Erik” Kurilla, head of Central Command, said he saw a surge in aggressive Russian activity
The video shows the Russian pilot approaching the American jet to within 2,000 feet, which defies longstanding logs
“Demonstrate these aggressive actions by the Russian aircrew [a] lack of competence and could lead to miscalculations and unintended escalation,” AFCENT said in a statement.
Those 26 violations are nearly half of the 63 total violations since the U.S.-Russia protocols began in 2019.
“In the course of my career I have not seen this type of disregard for agreed protocols and conflict resolution rules,” AFCENT’s Lt. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich said in a statement. “We saw Russian aircraft coming within 500 feet of our plane.”
Kurilla said any movement in Ukraine could trigger movements in Syria — where Russia has backed President Bashar al-Assad and thwarted the spread of democracy.
“I believe that if Russia invades Ukraine, they would not hesitate to act as spoilers in Syria as well,” he said, before referring to Russia’s electronic warfare activities.
“Even now we see it as one of the most competitive environments in the electromagnetic spectrum that we currently operate in.”