Two extracts from informed letters in the Daily Telegraph today:
The welcome entry of Lord Prescott into the election campaign - Telegraph
From Air Vice Marshal Dennis Allison:
. . . the Defence Secretary’s recent statements about interception of Russian bombers and “a clear and present danger” to the Baltic states are questionable.
First, why draw attention to the activity of Russian aircraft in international airspace around the United Kingdom (and over the Baltic Sea) when such flights have been going on without incident for over 40 years?
Secondly, the two Baltic States with a significant Russian-speaking population are protected by Nato. President Vladimir Putin will not start the Third World War unless the leaders of these two states follow the example of the Ukrainian president and decide to subdue their Russian-speaking subjects with artillery, tanks and aircraft.
and from Dr Alexander Yakovenko, Ambassador of the Russian Federation:
. . . Russian planes do regularly fly to remote geographical areas and will continue to do so. This is required for personnel training and to verify aircraft capabilities. All flights are carried out in strict accordance with international regulations.
Flights of Russian military aircraft are often accompanied by jets from Nato countries and their partners. This is ordinary practice, and the level of public attention on the latest incidents in the vicinity of British airspace is overblown.
Military activity by Nato aircraft at Russian borders is far more intense, having doubled since early 2014 and reaching 3,000 sorties that year.
By way of comparison, Russian reconnaissance aircraft carried out just over 200 sorties over the Baltic Sea area from March to December 2014, compared to 125 over the same period in 2013.
The growing disparity between the actual situation and the official rhetoric of some Western leaders is not helpful for restoring trust, which is probably the main victim of the current crisis in relations between Russia and the West.
Is the real problem just bad journalism?