The U.K. Ministry of Defence said that last month two Russian fighter jets intercepted an unarmed British RC-135 Rivet Joint surveillance aircraft over the Black Sea while it was operating in international airspace.
According to London, one of the Su-35 fighters approached the aircraft several times at such close range that onboard emergency warning systems were triggered. Another Russian jet—a Su-27—made six passes roughly six meters from the nose of the British aircraft.
British officials described the incident as the most dangerous Russian encounter since 2022. At that time, according to London, a missile was launched near a British aircraft—an event Moscow later attributed to a technical malfunction.
The British Defence Ministry said such actions increase the risk of direct escalation between Russia and NATO. The ministry stressed that British aircraft continue to conduct joint reconnaissance and patrol missions with allies to protect the alliance’s eastern flank.
Tensions have also risen this week in the Baltic region. In Lithuania, a drone violated the country’s airspace, while in Estonia a fighter jet shot down a drone that authorities preliminarily identified as Ukrainian.