A Polish military aircraft nearly crashed into the Black Sea after a Russian fighter jet crossed its path in a series of “aggressive and dangerous” manoeuvres.
Pilots briefly lost control of the twin-propeller surveillance plane when they experienced turbulence and were forced to make an emergency landing.
It was the latest mid-air incident between Nato and Russian aircraft, which have repeatedly come in close contact along Europe’s borders this year.
A spokesman for the Polish government said: “The crew of five Polish border guard officers lost control of the plane and lost altitude. The Russian warplane flew right in front of the nose of the plane, crossing its flight path at a dangerous distance. According to the crew’s assessment, it was about five metres away.”
The near mid-air collision comes a week after RAF Typhoon fighters and a Norwegian F-35A plane were scrambled to intercept a Russian Tu-142 maritime patrol aircraft that was approaching British airspace from the North Atlantic.
In the latest incident, Romania’s defence ministry, which first reported Friday’s incident over the Black Sea, condemned Moscow’s “aggressive and dangerous” behaviour. It said the Polish Turbolet L-410 unarmed plane was on a mission for Frontex, the EU’s border force, when it was intercepted by the Russian jet.
“This incident is further evidence of the provocative approach of the Russian Federation in the Black Sea,” a spokesman for the Romanian government said.
Reaction times
Nato air commanders have accused the Kremlin of flying directly towards its borders to test reaction times and potentially provoke an incident that would escalate its war in Ukraine. In March, British and German warplanes intercepted Russian aircraft near the border with Estonia.
In February, a Russian fighter jet deliberately dumped fuel over a US reconnaissance drone over the Black Sea, forcing it to crash and, separately, Dutch fighter jets intercepted Russian military aircraft along the Polish border.
Prof Wyn Bowen, co-director of the Freeman Air and Space Institute at King’s College in London, said last month that Russian aviation aggression was linked to the Kremlin’s frustration at its stalled invasion of Ukraine.
“There are different potential sources of escalation between Russia and Nato in the Ukraine context,” he said. “Perhaps the most obvious and dangerous is framed by Russia’s activities in the air domain. Specifically, since February 2022, there have been several incidents of Russian aircraft interacting with and harassing Nato aircraft – both manned and unmanned.”
Kremlin frustration
The Kremlin feels increasingly frustrated at the lack of progress that its army has made in Ukraine over the past year and now the British government has also said that president Vladimir Putin may have to pare back his May 9 Victory Day parade in Moscow.
The Ministry of Defence said that a drone strike on the Kremlin on Thursday morning has unnerved the Russian authorities which accused Ukraine of trying to assassinate Putin. Ukraine has denied any responsibility.
“Moscow’s Victory Day celebration is likely to go ahead but on a smaller scale,” a spokesman for the MoD said. “The timing of the strike on the Kremlin a few days before Victory Day shows Russia’s increasing vulnerability to such attacks.”
Parades across Russia have already been cancelled because of security fears and concerns they will highlight the high casualty rate in Ukraine.
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