Britain has accused Russian fighter jets of dangerously harassing a Royal Air Force surveillance aircraft during a mission over the Black Sea. The Black Sea incident has triggered diplomatic protests from British officials and renewed tensions between London and Moscow.
According to Britain’s Ministry of Defence, the encounter happened last month in international airspace during a routine NATO-related operation. Officials said the RAF Rivet Joint aircraft was unarmed and carried out surveillance duties near NATO’s eastern flank.
British authorities said a Russian Su-35 fighter jet flew extremely close to the RAF aircraft during the mission. Officials claimed the manoeuvre activated emergency systems onboard and temporarily disabled the plane’s autopilot functions.
Meanwhile, a second Russian aircraft reportedly carried out several close passes near the British jet. Defence officials said the Russian Su-27 flew within roughly 20 feet of the aircraft’s nose multiple times during the encounter. The Ministry of Defence later released footage that appeared to show the Russian jets flying close to the RAF plane. Officials described the behaviour as reckless and dangerous.
Despite the confrontation, the RAF crew continued the mission and completed the planned flight safely. British officials praised the pilot for remaining calm throughout the tense situation. Defence Secretary John Healey strongly criticised the Russian actions following the Black Sea incident. He warned that such manoeuvres increase the risk of accidents and possible escalation between military forces.
British officials also confirmed they delivered a formal diplomatic protest to the Russian embassy this week. The Foreign Office and Ministry of Defence jointly condemned what they described as unacceptable conduct by Russian pilots. The Black Sea incident marks the most serious reported encounter involving an RAF Rivet Joint aircraft since 2022. During that earlier event, Russian fighter jets intercepted another British surveillance plane over the same region.
At the time, British officials said one Russian aircraft released a missile near the RAF plane. Russia later claimed a technical malfunction caused the incident. The latest confrontation comes amid growing concerns about Russian military activity near critical infrastructure. British officials recently accused Russian units of conducting suspicious underwater operations near important cables and pipelines.
Officials also claimed allied forces tracked and pushed away Russian naval assets during recent operations. Britain continues to support NATO missions across Eastern Europe following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The Black Sea incident is likely to increase pressure on diplomatic relations between Britain and Russia in the coming weeks.
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