The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) on Wednesday said that the Air Force deployed F-22 fighter jets to the Middle East amid unsafe Russian aircraft activity.
What Happened: Army Gen. Michael "Erik" Kurilla, the head of CENTCOM, said, "Russian Forces' unsafe and unprofessional behavior is not what we expect from a professional air force."
Their regular violation of agreed-upon airspace deconfliction measures increases the risk of escalation or miscalculation," he added.
See Also: US To Reportedly Deploy Newer Jets To Asia, Europe To Take On Xi Jinping And Putin
The command said stealth jets from Langley Air Force Base in Virginia would augment the American and allied air and ground forces in the region, covering parts of South and Central Asia.
Amid Vladimir Putin's unprecedented war in Ukraine, U.S.-Russia ties have remained strained, with American military officials noting a rise in provocative actions from Moscow in the Middle East region over the past few months.
In March, an army commander told NBC News that armed Russian jets flew over a U.S. military output in Syria nearly every day in that month. A lieutenant general also told Defense One that Russian pilots in April appeared to be actively provoking American jets into engaging in dogfights in Syria.
See Also: China Flies Dozens Of Fighter Jets Near Taiwan In Response To Tsai Ing-wen’s U.S. Visit
On Wednesday, a USAF Central spokesperson addressed that there has been an increase over the past several weeks of “unprofessional” behavior by Putin's military.
"While the unprofessional and unsafe behavior varies from day to day and pilot to pilot, compared to behavior a year ago, Russian pilots have become significantly more unprofessional and unsafe in their attempts to challenge Coalition enduring defeat-Da'esh operations," the spokesperson said, according to CNN.
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