Russian warplanes buzzed a U.S. destroyer in the Baltic Sea on Tuesday.
A pair of Su-24 attack jets flew so low and so close to the USS Donald Cook that sailors aboard the warship reportedly said the passes, roughly 20 in all, created a “wake in the water.”
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“The Russian aircraft flew in a simulated attack profile and failed to respond to repeated safety advisories in both English and Russian. USS Donald Cook’s commanding officer deemed several of these maneuvers as unsafe and unprofessional,” U.S. European Command said Wednesday in a statement.
"These actions have the potential to unnecessarily escalate tensions between countries, and could result in a miscalculation or accident that could cause serious injury or death,” the statement continued.
The U.S. military has released videos of the fly-bys, showing the SU-24 attack aircraft.
#USNavy's #USSDonaldCook encounters aggressive Russian aircraft in #BalticSea. More to follow. pic.twitter.com/t0uFEfMOoX
— U.S. Navy (@USNavy) April 13, 2016
Also on Tuesday, the Donald Cook was underway in the Baltic Sea when a Russian helicopter — a Ka-27 Helix — made seven overflights and appeared to be taking photographs of the Navy ship, according to reports.
Since its annexation of Crimea in 2014, Russia aircraft have routinely buzzed U.S. and NATO military assets in the region and violated the airspace of several allies.
