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A Russian fighter jet fired a missile near an unarmed British aircraft patrolling in international airspace over the Black Sea, in what UK Defense Minister Ben Wallace described as a “potentially dangerous” incident.
Wallace told parliament Thursday the encounter took place on Sept. 29 and prompted Britain to temporarily suspend patrols in the area.
According to the minister, the RAF RC-135 aircraft was on routine patrol when it was “shadowed” by two Russian SU-27 fighter jets, one of which released a missile in the vicinity of the British plane.
The minister said the incident was not deemed a “deliberate escalation,” but concerns were expressed in a letter to his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu.
