United States denounces Russian harassment of a reconnaissance plane in the Mediterranean

The U.S. Navy assigned to the Europe-Africa area in the Mediterranean warned Tuesday night that two Russian planes flew in an unsafe and unprofessional manner to intercept a U.S. reconnaissance aircraft, specifically a P-8A model of the maritime reconnaissance patrol, in the airspace around the Mediterranean Sea.

The US Navy indicated in an official statement that "two Russian Sukhoi 35 aircraft unsafely intercepted a surveillance aircraft belonging to the sixth US fleet over the Mediterranean". "The intervention was determined to be unsafe and unprofessional and lasted 64 minutes," the statement added.  The U.S. Army reported on the social network Twitter that they expect nothing more than "safe and professional actions" in this area as opposed to the aggressive Russian position. 

The Navy added that "unnecessary measures taken by Russian Sukhoi 35 pilots are inconsistent with good maneuvers and international flight rules, and endanger the safety of aircraft flying".

According to CNN, U.S. officials believe that Russia is very sensitive to surveillance aircraft operating in the eastern Mediterranean because of Russian military operations in Syria, a Middle Eastern country where Russia militarily supports the Bashar al-Asad regime in its fight against insurgents entrenched in the Idlib province stronghold. The Syrian government argues that the region is home to elements of jihadist terrorism that must be eliminated in order to pacify and unify the country. 

The US has once again taken an interest in Syria after it left the territory in October 2019 following the agreement signed with Turkey to establish a security zone, from which the Kurdish-Syrians were to leave at the demand of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose aim is to harass the Kurdish ethnic group under the excuse that they are carrying out terrorist acts in the south of Ottoman territory. Meanwhile, the Turkish nation is accused of interfering in the Syrian war conflict by setting up checkpoints in the north of the Arab country and contributing military forces and even paid mercenaries from former affiliates of terrorist groups such as Al-Qaeda. A Turkish position that clashes with the position of the coalition formed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Al-Asad regime. 

The U.S. was criticized for this departure from Syria by abandoning the Kurdish factions of the People's Protection Units (YPG), which helped U.S. forces defeat Daesh on the ground a year ago when the resistance cell of Al-Baghouz fell. The return of interest by Donald Trump's Executive has to do with the intention of taking a position on the great Syrian centers of oil production, very attractive to different participants in the Syrian war. 

Vladimir Putin's Russia has been a strong ally of Al-Asad in the framework of the Syrian civil war, which started in 2011; and this strong presence in the Mediterranean Sea is increased by the latest information that points to the Russian expansion to Libya, a North African country of the Mediterranean arc where another civil war will take place from 2014 between the Government of National Accord ( GNA ) of Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj and the Libyan National Army ( LNA ), The government of the Republic of Korea has been trying to destroy the last stronghold of the GNA in the capital, Tripoli, under the excuse that this area is home to jihadist elements and that the entire country needs to be reconquered in order to carry out a new democratic process. For his part, Fayez Sarraj, whose executive has been recognized by the United Nations (UN) since 2016, argues that the offensive by Haftar's troops is a genuine coup d'état against the established power. 

Precisely, the latest air clash between the US and Russia with the interception of the US reconnaissance plane by Russian fighters comes just when the American giant has reported that Russia is expanding in Libya as it did in Syria. 

The U.S. Army for Africa (AFRICOM) denounced that Russia is extending its military influence in the North African country just as it did in the Middle Eastern nation, moving fighter planes to the North African country and facilitating the arrival of Private Military Security Companies (PSMC) such as the Wagner Group, owned by Russian oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin, a close friend of the president, Vladimir Putin. A businessman who has already been mentioned in Atalayar for his support of the Russian leader. 

Although the Wagner Group is considered one of many private military companies, it has its peculiarities. Unlike other formations, such as the American Blackwater or other mercenary companies, this entity should be seen as a quasi-state actor in the security environment, and not so much as a private security company with an exclusively economic interest. It only acts where there are Russian interests at stake and always in accordance with the Kremlin's foreign policy guidelines.

In a statement released to the media, the head of AFRICOM, General Stephen Townsend, supported his denunciation with photographs that showed what appeared to be MiG-29 aircraft and a Sukhoi in flight to Libya from a Russian base in territory under the control of Syrian President Bashar al-Asad.

"Russia is clearly trying to turn the tide in Libya. As we saw it do in Syria, they are expanding their military presence in Africa by using government-backed mercenary groups like Wagner," he said.

The US denunciation comes days after the Interior Minister of the Government of National Accord (GNA), supported by the UN in Tripoli, Fathi Bashagha, denounced the landing in Libya of six Russian fighter planes - four MiG-29s and two Sukhoi Su-24s, which according to his version had arrived escorted from Syria in support of the forces of Marshal Khalifa Haftar, leader of the LNA and representative of the eastern government of Tobruk. 

In fact, the war in Libya has become a struggle in which several international actors are involved. On the one hand, Fayez Sarraj's GNA is supported by Turkey (which has displaced even paid Syrian mercenaries from former factions of jihadist organisations to Libyan territory), Qatar and Italy; while the LNA of Khalifa Haftar is supported by Russia, France, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt.