MOSCOW, June 21. /TASS/. Chairman of the State Duma’s Defense Committee and ex-Commander of the Russian Airborne Forces, Vladimir Shamanov, denounced the attempt of the NATO F-16 fighter to approach the plane of the Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu over the Baltic Sea as "military rudeness."
According to the MP, the NATO aircraft had violated military ethics and evinced too much curiosity.
On Wednesday, the NATO aircraft attempted to follow the Russian defense minister’s plane over the neutral waters of the Baltic Sea when it was flying to Kaliningrad. The plane carrying the Russian defense minister on board was escorted by Su-27 fleet fighters. One of the NATO planes attempted to approach the defense minister’s plane, but a Russian fighter appeared between them, after which the F-16 flew away.
"The military have ethics of their own. When identifying a plane followed by fighters, it is clear that there are protected persons on board. Evincing too much curiosity, as was the case, is unacceptable," Shamanov told TASS.
"I would call it military rudeness. The fighters did the right thing when they drove it away," the State Duma’s committee head stressed.