The Cable
Watch: Russian Fighters Buzz U.S. Warship in Baltic Sea
The move comes amid continuing tensions with Moscow over Ukraine, Syria, and other issues.
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BALTIC SEA (April 12, 2016) A Russian Sukhoi Su-24 attack aircraft makes a low altitude pass by USS Donald Cook (DDG 75) April 12, 2016. Donald Cook, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer forward deployed to Rota, Spain, is conducting a routine patrol in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations in support of U.S. national security interests in Europe. (U.S. Navy photo/Released)
Earlier this week, several Russian Sukhoi Su-24 attack planes made a series of low passes over the USS Donald Cook in the Baltic Sea, according to the U.S. European Command — flyovers the ship’s captain called “unsafe and unprofessional.” On Monday, the Donald Cook was forced to ground helicopter operations after the planes came in low and fast. But the real action came Tuesday, when two Russian jets made 11 “close-range and low altitude passes,” according to a statement from the European Command. The Russian aircraft “flew in a simulated attack profile and failed to respond to repeated safety advisories in both English and Russian,” the statement said.
Videos: U.S. European Command
Top photo credit: SERGEY VENYAVSKY/AFP/Getty Images
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