Downing a civilian aircraft using SAM battery, or MANPAD, near an active conflict, is galaxies apart from planting explosives on civilian airliners.
And I don’t mean legally speaking, although it is, I mean they aren’t even in the same universe when talking about blowback, politics, military responses, threat management, PR, escalation ladders, etc.
Sure, but that was accidental. If they could have avoided that shootdown, they would have, and while I have no doubt that a lot of countries were annoyed by them not paying compensation, they were also aware that Russia wasn’t intentionally trying to shoot down an airliner.
If Russia, say, adopted a policy of sending fighters into Poland and firing missiles at any airliners they find in Polish airspace, that’s going to garner a more-unpleasant response.
… https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysia_Airlines_Flight_17?wprov=sfla1
Downing a civilian aircraft using SAM battery, or MANPAD, near an active conflict, is galaxies apart from planting explosives on civilian airliners.
And I don’t mean legally speaking, although it is, I mean they aren’t even in the same universe when talking about blowback, politics, military responses, threat management, PR, escalation ladders, etc.
Sure, but that was accidental. If they could have avoided that shootdown, they would have, and while I have no doubt that a lot of countries were annoyed by them not paying compensation, they were also aware that Russia wasn’t intentionally trying to shoot down an airliner.
If Russia, say, adopted a policy of sending fighters into Poland and firing missiles at any airliners they find in Polish airspace, that’s going to garner a more-unpleasant response.
Putin: