A Russian fighter intercepted a Polish plane patrolling for the EU’s border agency over the Black Sea, Romania’s defense ministry said.
It denounced Moscow’s “aggressive and dangerous” behavior.
The Polish border guard plane was on a routine Frontex patrol with Romanian border police Friday when it was intercepted by repeated “aggressive and dangerous maneuvers”, performed by the Sukhoi Su-35 fighter, a ministry statement on Saturday said. Poland later confirmed the incident.
NATO put Romanian and Spanish planes on “pre-alert” when the incident happened, but the Polish crew managed to land safely, the statement added.
The incident took place “in international airspace over the Black Sea,” around 60 kilometers east of Romania’s airspace, according to the ministry.
“This incident is further evidence of the provocative approach of the Russian Federation in the Black Sea.”
The Polish plane has been deployed in Romania from April 19 for a month, It is part of a Frontex operation organized by Romania that also includes Spain and Sweden.
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