The Russians do not appear to like the US Navy operating ships in the Baltic Sea.  On Aprill 11, two unarmed Russian SU24 fighter jets made low attitude passes at the US Navy destroyer USS Donald Cook.  Then, on April 12, two Russian KA27 Helix helicopters flew several circles around the Donald Cook, apparently taking photos. Later, two unarmed SU24 jets made approximately a dozen very close, low-level passes of the ship in what the official described as “Simulated Attack Profile.”  When the incidents took place the Donald Cook was roughly 70 nautical miles from the Russain port of Kaliningrad in international waters in the Baltic Sea, having sailed from Gdynia, Poland.

The US Navy posted videos of the Russian planes buzzing the Cook on Youtube.

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The buzzing of the Donald Cook by Russian aircraft coincided with the landing of a Polish helicopter on board as part of routine training. Some have speculated that the Russians were also “sending a message to Poland.”

This is not the first time that the Donald Cook has been buzzed by Russian ships while in the Baltic. Almost exactly two years ago, the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer was buzzed by two Russian SU-24 fighter jets while operating in the Baltic Sea.