A Russian Sukhoi Su-35 fighter intercepted a Polish plane on Friday that was carrying out a mission for the European border agency (Frontex) in the Black Sea, causing a temporary "loss of control" of the device, according to a statement published this Sunday. in Warsaw.
The incident was initially reported by the Romanian authorities, who denounced the "aggressive" behavior of the Russian plane.
According to Polish border guards, the Sukhoi entered without any prior radio contact "into the area of operations designated by Romania" and carried out "aggressive and dangerous maneuvers, approaching the Polish border guards' plane three times without the safe distance necessary".
Consequently, the device suffered "significant turbulence" and the crew, made up of five people, including two pilots, "lost control of the plane and lost altitude."
Polish border guards specified that the Russian fighter crossed their path at a distance of "about five meters".
After the incident, the Polish aircraft was able to land correctly in Romania.
The Romanian Defense Minister denounced the incident on Saturday as "new proof of Russia's provocative approach in the Black Sea," which also bathes Ukraine.
According to Bucharest, the Polish plane, which was not armed, was monitoring "the migratory risk" and was about 60 km east of Romanian airspace, in international airspace.
The aircraft has been deployed in Romania from April 19 to May 17 for an operation organized by Bucharest and coordinated by Frontex, in which Spain and Sweden also participate.
In recent years, even before the start of the war in Ukraine in February 2022, incidents between Russian planes and aircraft from NATO countries have multiplied.
Most of them occurred in the Baltic Sea, but also in the Black Sea and elsewhere.
According to the criteria of The Trust Project
