According to the Americans either Russian or Syrian war planes under Russian control bombed a clearly marked UN convoy delivering aid to Aleppo, destroying 18 of the 30 vehicles. Russia of course denies and has given dissembling Russian explanations.
They shot a passenger plane out of the skies over Ukraine; they shot down KAL 007 and the attacking pilot has admitted he knew it was a civilian aircraft. There is no outrage of which Russia is incapable. And here, they share the skies over Syria with the Americans and I am easily influenced to half-believe that it is the United States that Russia looks to attack. From a variety of motives: ancient Soviet-American hostility, American lies after the collapse of the Soviet empire, Russian revanchism, Ukraine sanctions, hatred between Putin and Obama, and between their foreign services, opportunism, influencing the U.S. presidential election, strategic geo-positioning, more of which I haven't an inkling.
On the other hand. I have come to mistrust anything Official America says about Russia.
I think it plausible that Russia is looking for an opportunity for a direct military confrontation with the United States. This is not that. But it may be Russia pushing the envelope, showing America what they can do, what they are capable of doing, yet again.
Or it may be American scapegoating and demonizing Russia and anything it does, yet again.
