MOSCOW (Rooters agency) – The Russian Ministry of Defense today reported that US military planes several times buzzed a Russian guided missile destroyer sailing in international waters in the Gulf of Mexico. Russian Navy officials described the actions of the US planes as a “simulated attack”.
In addition, US jet fighters flew within 15 meters of Russian reconnaissance planes and performed a barrel-roll over them. A Russian spokesperson called the action “unsafe and unprofessional.”
Officials here, who spoke on condition of anonymity, described the US military provocations as among the most serious to have occurred since the collapse of the aggressive Dubbya regime.
The Russian warship, the Potemkin 2, was harassed by the US planes two days after it had completed a visit to Havana. The Russian spokesperson said the Potemkin 2 was 70 nautical miles off the US city of Tampa when the incidents occurred.
In Washington, a spokesperson for the White House rejected the Russian complaints. “We have to protect our own territory. We wouldn’t bother their warships if they didn’t intrude so close to our shores. If they continue this sort of thing, we’re considering sending our warships into that northern European lake called the Baltic Sea, which borders on their territory.”
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