Boeing E-8C Reconnaissance Aircraft of the Air Force (Air Force) On December 27, the United States approached the Russian-Ukrainian border. This is evidenced by the data of the aviation monitoring site Flightradar.
Judging by the map of movements, the plane began its journey from the US Air Force Ramstein Air Base, then it flew through European airspace to Ukraine and is currently performing a reconnaissance mission south of Kharkov.
Modification of the aircraft involves the performance of combat control and target designation tasks, it is able to track ground targets. Previously, this aircraft was not used to perform such sorties on the territory of Ukraine.
On December 10, it was reported that a Russian Su-30 fighter jet escorted a US Poseidon P-8A reconnaissance aircraft in the sky over the Black Sea.
On December 9, the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, Valery Gerasimov, announced that the US strategic aviation had increased the number of flights near the eastern borders of Russia. He noted that, in particular, the Americans are training cruise missile launches.
The day before, the Russian Su-27 escorted French military aircraft Rafale and Mirage-2000 in the sky over the Black Sea.
On December 3, a civilian plane flying from Tel Aviv to Moscow was forced to change course over the Black Sea to avoid a dangerous approach with an American reconnaissance aircraft. It was noted that the military aircraft randomly crossed the established routes of civil aviation and approached the passenger Airbus.
According to the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova, the actions of the US Air Force have created a threat to civil aviation. She stressed that if in this case the catastrophe was prevented, it does not mean that the United States and NATO can risk people's lives with impunity.
On November 30, Russian leader Vladimir Putin said that the Russian Federation is concerned about military exercises, including unplanned ones, at its borders. The President noted that bombers were flying 20 km from the border of the Russian Federation, carrying high-precision weapons, and possibly nuclear weapons.
