Earlier this week, UK Defense Minister Ben Wallace explained that a Russian fighter plane fired a missile near an unarmed British spy plane patrolling international airspace over the Black Sea on 29 September.

The incident took place just a few days after the Nord Stream pipelines explosions, which raised the risk of a potential escalation between NATO and Russia. 

Wallace told Parliament that the UK Rivet Joint electronic surveillance plane was shadowed by two SU-27 aircraft, “which is not unusual”, emphasising that this time one of the Russian planes “released a missile in the vicinity of the Rivet Joint, beyond visual range”.

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As the Financial Times reports, Wallace underlined he had suspended the patrols and discussed the issue with Sergei Shoigu, his Russian counterpart. The latter replied on 10 October that the incident occurred in international airspace and that it was due to a “technical malfunction”. 

Wallace did his best to appease the public. “We do not consider this a deliberate escalation by the Russians […] However, it’s a reminder of quite how dangerous things can be when you choose to use your fighters in the manner that the Russians have,” – he explained. He concluded by stating that “we are incredibly lucky that it did not become worse”. 

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UK surveillance plane patrols have since resumed, this time with fighter aircraft escorts.

Image: Unsplash

Author: Sébastien Meuwissen