Here Are 12 Confrontations And Close Calls With The Russians Over the Years

Mark Stout and B.J. Armstrong, War On The Rocks: 12 Other Clashes And Close Calls With The Russians

The shootdown yesterday of a Russian aircraft by a Turkish F-16 is a worrisome development, but historically speaking, incidents involving the United States or NATO countries and Soviet or Russian forces have been fairly common. These include ground, naval, and air incidents. Indeed, there was a long tradition of the Soviet Union shooting at aircraft and people who entered their territory or even come close to it. Even in the post-Soviet era there have been similar incidents with Russian forces. As bad as these events can be, they have yet to lead to war and are usually either swept under the rug or dealt with on a diplomatic level.

Consider 12 of the more notable confrontations:

WNU Editor: No mention of the Cuban Missile Crisis. No mention of Soviet pilots in North Vietnam during the Vietnam war. No mention of accidental nuclear alerts like this one.