A Russian fighter jet fired a missile close to an unarmed British plane patrolling in worldwide airspace over the Black Sea, in what UK Protection Minister Ben Wallace described as a “doubtlessly harmful” incident.
Wallace informed Parliament on Thursday the encounter came about Sept. 29 and prompted Britain to quickly droop patrols within the space.
In line with the minister, the RAF RC-135 plane was on routine patrol when it was “shadowed” by two Russian SU-27 fighter jets, certainly one of which launched a missile within the neighborhood of the British aircraft.
The minister mentioned the incident was not deemed a “deliberate escalation,” however he shot off a letter to his Russian counterpart, Sergei Shoigu, to precise his concern.
“In my letter I made clear the plane was unarmed, in worldwide airspace, and following a pre-notified flight path,” he mentioned.
Russia despatched again a reply Oct. 10, saying the missile firing was a “technical malfunction,” and Wallace mentioned British consultants have come to the identical conclusion.
“(Russia) additionally acknowledged that the incident came about in worldwide airspace,” he added.
UK patrols over the Black Sea have since resumed however at the moment are being accompanied by fighter plane escorts, Wallace mentioned.
“Every little thing we do is taken into account calibrated with regard to ongoing battle within the area and in accordance with worldwide regulation,” the minister added.
The obvious missile glitch comes amid escalating tensions between Russia and the West over the conflict in Ukraine, which has lately entered a brutal new section marked by relentless assaults on the nation’s infrastructure and key utilities.
Issues have been raised that Russian President Vladimir Putin, dealing with a possible embarrassing defeat on the battlefield, may detonate a nuclear warhead over the Black Sea as a warning signal to NATO.
With Put up wires
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