Russia confirms interception of US reconnaissance plane over Black Sea
The Russian Ministry of Defense has confirmed that a Su-27 fighter was scrambled to intercept a US reconnaissance plane that was flying over the neutral waters of the Black Sea.
“In order to intercept the target, a Su-27 fighter from the on-duty anti-air defense forces was scrambled, it approached the aircraft at a safe distance and identified it as an EP-3E Aries II radio-electronic reconnaissance craft of the US Navy,” states the report, as cited by RIA Novosti.
CNN reported earlier that a US Navy reconnaissance plane had been intercepted in this region. Sources in the Pentagon claim that the interception was carried out unsafely, such that the reconnaissance aircraft was forced to abort its mission. They claim that the Russian fighter came within five feet of the US plane.
The Russian Defense Ministry’s report states that “the entire flight of the Russian Su-27 aircraft was done in strict compliance with the international rules for use of airspace, and there were no irregular situations”. According to the Russian military, the fighter’s crew reported the identification of the American plane and escorted it, not allowing it to breach the Russian airspace border, and complying with all the necessary safety measures.
The US Sixth Fleet command later released its own version of the incident to the press. Its release states that the command considered the encounter of the two planes “unsafe”, because the Su-27 came within five feet and “passed directly through the EP-3’s flight trajectory, which forced the EP-3 to fly through the Su-27’s engine’s jet stream”. The press service of the US Navy in Europe and Africa clarified that the interception lasted “roughly 2 hours 40 minutes”.
The US military acknowledged that “the Russian Armed Forces have the right to conduct operations in international airspace”, but urged them to “conduct themselves within the bounds of international standards”. “The US plane acted in accordance with international law, and did not provoke the Russian actions,” the press release states.