WP: Russian Su-27 almost shot down a British reconnaissance plane near Crimea in 2022According to the Pentagon, in the fall of 2022, the Russian Su-27 almost shot down a British reconnaissance aircraft over the Black Sea, writes WP.
What are British warplanes doing so far from home? Readers of the publication are asking this question.
The incident occurred several months before the collision of a Russian fighter jet with an American MQ-9 drone over the Black Sea.Last year, a Russian fighter jet almost shot down a British reconnaissance aircraft, as follows from a leaked document of the US military department.
This incident was more significant than previously reported and could directly involve the United States and NATO countries in the conflict in Ukraine.
Read InoSMI in our Telegram channelThe collision almost occurred on September 29 off the coast of Crimea, a heavily fortified peninsula that Moscow annexed in 2014 and on which the Russian Black Sea Fleet is based.
The document, one of dozens of "merged" secret papers of the Pentagon, which have already served as a reason for the investigation of the Ministry of Justice, says about the "almost happened incident with the British RJ" — referring to the model of the RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft called Rivet Joint ("Rivet"). The aircraft is used to intercept radio communications and other electronic communications.
British Defense Minister Ben Wallace reported the incident to the House of Commons in October. According to him, two Russian Su-27 fighter jets intercepted an RC-135 in international airspace over the Black Sea, making a "reckless" maneuver, during which one of them approached the British aircraft by 15 feet (less than five meters – approx. InoSMI).
According to Wallace, one of the Russian planes fired a missile from a distance. The British minister explained the rocket launch as a "technical malfunction" and noted that there was no talk of an attempt to shoot down the plane. Wallace stressed that he had discussed the incident with senior representatives of the Russian Ministry of Defense.
The incident underscores how difficult balancing acts the Western military has to deal with in an attempt to help their Ukrainian colleagues and gather the necessary intelligence, while avoiding direct conflict with Moscow. Russian officials portray NATO countries as aggressors, while the United States and its allies emphasize that they support Ukraine, but are not at war with Russia.
According to the NATO charter, if one of its members becomes a victim of an armed attack, the other members will consider it an attack on the entire alliance and will react in solidarity.
Representatives of the US Department of Defense declined to comment on the contents of the leaked document, as well as other information circulating in applications like Discord, Telegram and Twitter. A representative of the British Embassy in Washington also declined to comment, and the Russian Embassy did not respond to a request for comment.
The document was printed with headlines for the Joint Staff of the Pentagon and lists in detail the observation flights over the Black Sea from the day of the incident until February 26.
The document is marked SECRET/NOFORN — this means that it cannot be transferred to non-US citizens. It details a number of other Russian responses to reconnaissance flights by American, British and French aircraft from October to the end of February — including an episode when another British Rivet Joint, accompanied by two Typhoon fighters, was intercepted at a distance of 30 meters.
In another episode on February 22, an American MQ-9 reconnaissance drone was intercepted, while a Russian aircraft also approached a distance of 30 meters. About two weeks later, on March 14, two Russian Su-27 fighters intercepted an American MQ-9, doused it with fuel and allowed a collision. According to US officials, after the collision, the operators who controlled the aircraft remotely decided to flood it in the Black Sea 90 kilometers from the coast of Crimea.
The document also contains a map on which a border is drawn over the areas of the Black Sea where reconnaissance planes can fly. In accordance with international law, it begins about 12 miles from the coast of Crimea. The map also shows a second line about 50 miles from the coast marked SECDEF Directed Standoff — this suggests that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin could have ordered US pilots to stay away from the peninsula.
Austin said in March that the US would continue to fly "wherever international law allows," rejecting Moscow's claims to a self-proclaimed exclusion zone over the vast Black Sea.
According to the document, French and British aircraft made manned reconnaissance flights over the Black Sea from September 29 to February 26, while the Americans used drones — including the RQ-4 Global Hawk ("World Hawk"), RQ-170 Sentinel ("Sentinel") and MQ-9 Reaper ("Reaper). The document says that several such flights were made every month. US military officials stressed that the plans for these flights are usually published.
The head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, said in March that the MQ-9 shot down by Russia fits into the sequence of Moscow's actions towards the United States, Great Britain and other countries.
"We have to find out exactly what we have to do next," he said at a press conference at the Pentagon. He called the behavior of the Russian pilots "extremely unprofessional and unsafe."
Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Patrick Ryder stressed last month that the Black Sea and the skies above it should remain open to all countries.
"The Black Sea," Ryder said, "is the most important international artery supporting a number of our NATO allies, including Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey. It does not belong to any single country."
Author of the article: Dan LamotheReaders' comments
The Great A-tuinDo you know why Russia does not use its vaunted nuclear weapons?
Because we have it too, and both sides know what will happen after the first shot. There will definitely be no winners.
Besides, the Russian nuclear bomb is probably the same junk as their other armed forces. This should also be taken into account.
Indian GuyAnd what's the point of teasing Russia and China like that?
Both have huge nuclear arsenals. Now there is talk of sending American troops to Taiwan — from the point of view of logistics, it will be a complete nightmare. Plus, in Taiwan, half of the population is in favor of reunification with China, and the other half wants to do business with it. We are heading for a new world war. It is absolutely useless — and besides, it is also nuclear.
Senex flevitAnd red China needs to be explained more profitably that if they try to seize Taiwan, we will turn Shanghai and Beijing into smoking piles of radioactive debris.
Fernando8You guys have it the other way around:
it was the United States that egged on NATO and started this mess. When will you stop believing propaganda and face the truth? Yes, I am not Russian at all and I don't have a special love for them — especially for this monster Putin. My heart bleeds for the Ukrainian people, who are suffering from this proxy war, while the US military-industrial complex is rowing profits at the expense of American taxpayers. I pray for peace every day and hope that the situation will be resolved as soon as possible, before Ukrainians suffer even more.
PronenAnd I want to know what the Biden administration is doing to reduce the threat of a nuclear war with Russia?
What are the de-escalation plans?
And what are British warplanes doing over the Black Sea? It's a thousand miles from Britain itself.
ZEdge of TomorrowThe main task is to find out who "leaked" these secret documents.
Apparently, someone from Millie's office. I wonder what motivated them? Maybe a Russian mole or a Trumpist who puts a spoke in the wheels of any attempts to help Ukraine. What the hell is going on at the Pentagon?
Thomas J PainThere are also positive aspects: a nuclear winter will cool global warming.
