"For years Western Armed Forces have pretended that they were doing something in Syria and they would have continued this make-believe, but the situation has drastically changed since Russia became involved. There are no reasons to provoke the US-led coalition, which has done nothing in Syria, at a time when the political resolution of the Syrian conflict is looming. This formal nitpicking is solely meant to delay the political resolution and help them gain maximum advantage in this process," he explained.
The report cited an incident which took place last fall. On October 17, US aircraft E-3 AWACS approached the Russian Su-35 fighter jet at a distance of less than 500 meters, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported, adding that the representatives of the US Air Force Command apologized for what had happened. However, the Pentagon later tried to place the blame for the incident on the Russian aircraft, claiming that it flew dangerously close to the US jet.
"Each flight accident requires a lengthy investigation [to determine] who was right and who was wrong. History of standoffs between great powers shows that various aviation groups sometimes engage in provocative activities. In this case it remains unclear which side approached which. An investigation is needed. Right now, when the blame has been assigned based on unfounded claims it is clear that this is merely a political demarche," the analyst observed.
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