Russia's air piracy remains unpunished

September 1, 1983, October 4, 2001, July 17, 2014. These dates share one thing in common: unpunished air piracy by Russians, against which global legal practice still remains powerless.

1. An airliner operating a New York–Anchorage–Seoul flight deviated from its route and passed over Kamchatka. Soviet command decided the pilot was a spy and destroyed the plane after it exited Soviet airspace. This event marked one of the tensest moments during the Cold War between the USSR, NATO countries, and global democracies.
2. A Siberia Airlines plane flying Tel Aviv–Novosibirsk was shot down by a surface-to-air missile and crashed into the Black Sea. Ukraine took responsibility. At that time, Russia was conducting military exercises, while Ukraine’s use of air defenses seemed strange. I’m certain that not only Leonid Kuchma, but also Israel and the United States, have ample information about the events connected to this flight.
3. The Dutch plane shot down by a Russian Buk missile over occupied Ukrainian territory is a more recent incident. Tons of lies erupted in the minds of Russian citizens through countless versions of events, aiming to demonstrate that truth doesn’t exist. The masterminds remain unpunished.

Why does this matter? To highlight the seriousness of the situation with the Azerbaijani airliner.

"Putin acknowledged the disaster but didn’t apologize as he should have, nor did he admit that the plane was shot down by Russian air defenses. Turkey fully supported Azerbaijan. President Aliyev made a strong statement, publicly demanding recognition, investigation, and apologies."

This is something Ukraine didn’t do with Iran in the early days following the downing of its airliner. This is what should lead to a change in the positions of some Middle Eastern leaders toward Russia. Soviet aviation terrorism began with the creation of Yasser Arafat’s Palestinian terrorist organization, which in 1968–1969 launched an army of terrorists against the aircraft of the democratic bloc. Today’s complex airline security measures are the result of that terror. Arafat was controlled by terrorists from the USSR’s KGB First Main Directorate.

Today’s actions by Russians are merely a new interpretation of the manuals from Andropov’s era.

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About the author: Oleksandr Krasovytskyi, Ukrainian publisher, Folio publishing house CEO.

The editorial team does not necessarily share the views expressed by blog authors.