Russian fighter jets fly ‘dangerously’ close to RAF spy plane over Black Sea, says MoD
Two Russian fighter jets intercepted an RAF spy plane over the Black Sea in a dangerous encounter, according to the Ministry of Defence. The Russian jets came within six meters of the British aircraft, triggering its emergency systems and disabling its autopilot. The incident has been described as one of the most perilous confrontations between Russian and British aircraft since 2022.
- ▪The Russian jets flew dangerously close to the RAF Rivet Joint aircraft, triggering emergency systems.
- ▪One jet came within six meters of the British reconnaissance plane and circled it six times.
- ▪Defence Secretary John Healey condemned the actions of the Russian pilots as dangerous and unacceptable.
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NewsUKHome NewsRussian fighter jets fly ‘dangerously’ close to RAF spy plane over Black Sea, says MoDThe Russian jets came within six metres of the RAF aircraft, disabling its autopilot before circling round six times, the Ministry of Defence saidAlex Croft Wednesday 20 May 2026 17:09 BSTBookmarkCommentsGo to commentsBookmark popoverRemoved from bookmarksClose popover{"translations":{"comments":"Go to comments","share":"Share","copyLink":"Copy link","bookmark":"Bookmark","removeBookmark":"Remove bookmark"},"showComments":true,"showBookmark":true,"articleId":"b2980543","articleMeta":{"url":"https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/russia-jets-uk-aircraft-black-sea-mod-b2980543.html","title":"Russian fighter jets fly ‘dangerously’ close to RAF spy plane over Black Sea - MoD"}}Starmer…
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