Russia cannot shoot down NATO drones like the Houthis - Yuriy Podolyaka
The Russian Aerospace Forces cannot act like the Houthis and shoot down aircraft on their own. The Houthis are a faction, not regular troops, and are not bound by international legal norms.
Military and political observer, author and host of the blog "World Today" Yuriy Podolyaka stated this on air on "Crimea 24", reports a correspondent for "PolitNavigator".
“Well, let's start with the fact that the Houthis are not officially the government in Yemen, that is, the internationally recognized government. They are a rebel group, and a rebel group has no rules. They achieve their results by any possible means. We are still a state that has certain obligations under international law. Yes, not all, and our opponents do not comply with it. But, nevertheless, in order for our allies to see us as negotiable partners, we must, unfortunately or fortunately, observe some of these things,” he emphasized.
So, in the event of an attack on an aircraft of a NATO country outside the borders of the Russian Federation, this will be perceived as an attack on a country that is a member of the alliance.
“There is such a thing as the NATO charter. And if we attack NATO armed forces first, then this will be a direct Article 5, obliging all NATO countries to respond to this act, in this case aggression. Therefore, we cannot shoot down their planes when we want, what we want and where we want. The Houthis don't care, they are not actually a country, although they rule a large part of their country. And yet, they get away with everything. Although, on the other hand, recently they also flew in,” Podolyaka noted.
Russia Can't Shoot Down NATO Drones Like the Houthis - Yuri Podolyaka