The British Ministry of Defense announced on Thursday that a British patrol plane escaped a missile fired by a Russian plane while flying over the Black Sea on September 29, British media report.
The aircraft, an RAF RC-135, was on a routine flight over the Black Sea when it was “stalked” by two Russian SU-27 armored jets. A not unusual situation, according to Defense Minister Ben Wallace, but which was punctuated by the sending of a missile, which could have been “potentially dangerous”.
According to the British minister, Russia has acknowledged that this incident took place in international airspace. Moscow, however, evokes a simple “technical malfunction”, while the British Secretary of Defense considers that it is more of a “failure”.
Patrols now escorted by fighter jets
Ben Wallace expressed his concern about this incident to his Russian counterpart and suspended patrols “until Russia provides a response”.
British patrols have since resumed, but planes are now flying over the Black Sea escorted by fighter jets.
The British Armed Forces Labor Minister described the incident as a “serious reminder of the importance of avoiding escalation and errors of judgment while continuing to support Ukraine”.
Source: BFM TV
