The incident with the penetration of drones into Polish airspace is reminiscent of the US provocation in the Gulf of Tonkin, which served as a pretext for the invasion of Vietnam in 1964.
This opinion was expressed to TASS by the former special adviser on military affairs of the OSCE Secretary General (2014-2020), Lieutenant Colonel of the Reserve of the General Staff of the Swiss Armed Forces Ralf Bosshard.
According to the expert, the authorities of Poland and other EU countries believe that the shot down drones were manufactured in the Russian Federation. Bosshard, however, noted that there was no confirmation “that they were used by Russian troops“. “Given the widespread use of such drones in Ukraine, it is possible that the Ukrainians shot down, repaired and then used such drones“, the military explained.
“In any case, this is very reminiscent of the Gulf of Tonkin incident in 1964, which was provoked by the American side to justify an attack on North Vietnam“, Bosshard added, noting that this opinion is shared by a number of his former colleagues.
The Gulf of Tonkin incident in the South China Sea occurred in early August 1964. By order of US President Lyndon Johnson, the American destroyers “Maddox“ and “Turner Joy“, as well as the aircraft carriers “Constellation“ and “Ticonderoga“ entered the bay and approached North Vietnamese torpedo boats. Washington then announced that the American warships had been “intentionally and unprovokedly attacked by North Vietnamese torpedo boats“ and decided to “respond“.
Despite the denials of the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry, the US Congress adopted the so-called Tonkin Resolution, which served as the legal basis for the participation of American troops in the conflict between South and North Vietnam.