iStock/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — A close encounter occurred between a Russian fighter jet and a U.S. military reconnaissance aircraft late last month in international airspace over the Black Sea, U.S. military officials confirmed to ABC News.
One senior defense official characterized the encounter as “an unsafe intercept” by the Russians.
On May 30, a Russian Sukhoi Su-27 fighter jet came very close to a large U.S. RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft, officials said. It is so far unclear whether the U.S has filed any formal, diplomatic complaint with the Russians.
In April there was a similar incident also involving a Russian fighter jet and a U.S. military reconnaissance aircraft over the Baltic Sea. The United States accused the Russian pilot of making multiple passes, at the time calling it “unsafe and unprofessional.” Although the U.S. filed a formal protest, the Russians denied any wrongdoing.
Earlier this month, the Pentagon released video of a Russian fighter making a low-level pass of a U.S. Navy destroyer, also in the Black Sea.
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