they would have shot down an unsuspecting airliner

You mean the ukrainians, about two years ago? That chartered Tu-154 had
five israeli bioweapon "scientists" on-board en route to Russia. They
were such a grave danger to the whole mankind that they needed to be
eliminated at such a huge price in civilians.

You mean the USSR, with KAL-007? There was an US RC-135 in the air,
using the KAL-007 to hide behind it. The laser gyroscope error that led
the Jumbo to fly over soviet territory and super-secret ICBM sites is
certainly strange. You can blame that Jumbo on the CIA, rather than the
soviets.