BRUSSELS, Dec 18 (BSS/AFP): Recent close shaves between Russian fighters and civilian aircraft highlight the dangers of the cat-and-mouse game being played out between Moscow and the West in European skies amid the crisis in Ukraine, analysts say.
In the latest incident, Sweden said Friday that a Russian military jet nearly collided with a passenger plane south of Malmoe shortly after take-off from Copenhagen International Airport.
Both countries called in their Russian ambassadors to protest, only to be told that a huge increase in Russian military activity in recent months was "a response to NATO's activities and escalation in the region."
Russia later accused Swedish authorities of being under the influence after smoking too much cannabis.
But such incidents are no joke for European authorities, with memories still fresh from the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over Ukraine by a missile that the West alleges was fired by pro-Russian separatists.
Danger in the skies as Russia, NATO play cat-and-mouse
FE Team | Published: December 19, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00
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