Russia threat no ‘fake’

A Syrian warplane dropped bombs near U.S.-led coalition forces in Syria. The American military does not take such things lightly and so for the first time in this long and bloody war struck back by downing a Syrian bomber.

And that got the attention of Syrian President Bashar Assad’s chief protector, Russia.

“All flying objects, including planes and drones of the international coalition, detected west of the Euphrates, will be followed by Russian air defense systems as targets,” the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement yesterday.

The Russians also at least temporarily halted use of the hotline aimed at preventing accidental mid-air conflicts — just as it did after the April U.S. missile strikes on a Syrian airfield in response to yet another Assad chemical weapons attack on his people.

“We are going to continue to conduct operations throughout Syria, providing air support for coalition and partnered forces on the ground,” said U.S. military spokesman Col. Ryan Dillon.

Now all of these forces are ostensibly fighting against the remnants of the Islamic State — that is, when Assad’s commanders (and their Russian allies) aren’t attacking his own political enemies.

Yes, it’s complicated. But what isn’t complicated is that Russia is neither a reliable nor a trustworthy ally in Syria or elsewhere.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said of the U.S. military action in Syria, “What is this, if not an act of aggression?”

Now there’s a topic the Russians know something about — whether it’s the illegal annexation of Crimea, the incursions into eastern Ukraine or the targeting of elections in the U.S. and France, Russian acts of aggression are very real and ongoing. And every time President Trump disparages “the Russia thing” as fake news for his own political purposes, he encourages more of it.