From The Telegraph, 13 September 2015:
RAF jets were last week scrambled for the seventh time this year to intercept Russian bombers near the UK. Flights by Russian long-range nuclear bombers skirting British airspace routinely spy on UK air defences, but should not be considered provocative, a senior former Russian officer has told the Telegraph…
We Brits are far too civilised to just shoot them down. We'd measure to an inch whether they really were within 'British airspace and would stand politely to one side if they were outside it. And there'd be all sorts of unpleasantness afterwards for those involved.
We can safely assume that the Russians take the piss over or near dozens of other countries as well, most of whom also tolerate them being such arse holes.
Turkey warned Russia in early October that it would no longer endure violations of Turkish airspace, and last week they snapped and shot one down.
So that while that one overflight last week might have been an innocent mistake, in terms of the bigger picture, the Russians got what they deserved.
Instead of whining and asking for an apology, what the Russians might try is a tactic called "not violating other people's airspace" or "politely asking for permission first". That often works, how do you think civil aviation functions?
Friday, 27 November 2015
If you push your luck too often, you will get shot down.
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6 comments:
funny thing about the Russians is that they usually look for some tenacious legal interpretation of what they are doing, even if it is utter bollocks they are almost obsessed by having some weird reasoning behind their mad cap schemes.
Another thing to bear in mind is that Putin is venerated by Lebanese christians who think he's the reincarnation of Constantine and the guy that is going to push the turks back into Transoxania.
The world outside the UK is pretty interesting, frequently mental, but pretty interesting
@S
Putin's "weird reasoning" is to get jihadis out of Syria.We and the Turkish government support this "mad cap scheme" (but not to the extent of cutting the Russians a bit of slack although deciding we (the UK) can do business with China and Vietnam far later agencies of Red Terror. who are our buddies now. But Russia never, never,never).Do you hear me Never Never ,NEVER!Some things are beyond human reasoning
SK, aha, thanks.
DBC, and I wish Putin the best of luck in Syria.
But that is not the topic. The topic is 'being a bully and hoping to get away with it'. And bad manners generally.
The Yanks are far worse than the Russians, and the Chinese behave pretty aggressively re those little islands etc, but that does not exonerate Putin.
@MW
Bad manners? You are disapproving of someone's manners in a desperate affaire of real politik ? Try reading Guardian "Is Vladimir Putin right to label Turkey accomplices to terrorists?"
Erdogan justified shooting down the plane which had strayed into Turkish air space (for 17seconds) by reference to his friends in Syria
the so-called "moderate" terrorists.(It is perfectly ok if you are shot by moderate terrorists; so much different from being shot by the really nasty kind).The Russians, having been invited in by Assad, tend not to discriminate overmuch between people who want to get rid of the legitimate government by killing them.Erdogan and his officials tend not to discriminate much between supporting moderate opposition and Isil and are waging a long conflict against the Kurds who are the only ground troops pushing Isil back.
But as long as they don't fart in front of ladies, (when it is the ladies' turn.)
DBC, constantly violating other people's airspace is frightfully bad manners and bully-boy tactics.
The Russians do it to lots of countries including us, and one day, a little boy stood up to the bully and all the other little boys cheered!
@MW
Are you feeling alright?
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