Russian jet 'flew 5ft from US spy plane' during tense Baltic Sea stand-off
A Russian jet reportedly flew within 5ft of a US spy plane’s wing tip during a flight over the Baltic Sea, US Officials have claimed.
The encounter, which reportedly occurred on Monday afternoon, was deemed unsafe due to the pilot’s ‘high rate of closure speed and poor control of the aircraft’.
For their part, Russia has disputed the American account – and instead claim that the US plane made a ‘provocative’ move towards their own jet.
The heightening of tensions comes after Russia previously warned that US jets flying in Syrian airspace would be treated as targets.
The stark announcement came after the US downed a Syrian jet which had reportedly targeted American allied rebels.
The incident on Monday occurred as a US reconnaissance jet flew only 25 miles from the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad.
Captain Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, said: ‘We were flying in international airspace and did nothing to provoke this behaviour.’
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However, Russia’s defence ministry has accused the US of acting recklessly – and claim that the plane attempted a dangerous manoeuvre after it was intercepted and escorted by a Russian Su-27 fighter jet.
‘During the escorting, the RC-135 crew made an attempt of closing with the Russian fighter, performing a provocative turnaround toward the Su-27’, Russia’s TASS news agency said.
According to CNN, there have also been more than 30 interactions between US and Russian planes and ships in the Baltic since the beginning of June – but the majority of these have been deemed safe.
