A Russian SU-35 fighter jet, like the one seen here, was involved in harassing a British reconnaissance plane last month in international airspace, Britain’s Ministry of Defense said. File Photo via U.S. Air Force/UPI | License Photo
Russian warplanes repeatedly harassed a British reconnaissance aircraft over the Black Sea, Britain said Wednesday, calling it the most dangerous incident involving a Royal Air Force Rivet Joint aircraft since 2022.
The encounter occurred last month in international airspace over the Black Sea, Britain’s Ministry of Defense said in a statement. Though the exact date was not specified, the ministry said it occurred days after Defense Secretary John Healey revealed a Russian undersea operation to Britain’s north on April 9.
According to ministry officials, the unarmed British jet was conducting a routine flight as part of efforts to secure NATO’s eastern flank when a Russian Su-35 jet flew close enough to it to trigger its emergency systems, disabling its autopilot function.
A second Russian jet, a Su-27, also conducted six passes in front of the Rivet Joint plane, flying within 20 feet of its nose, they said.
A 12-second video clip of the interception, seemingly shot from the British aircraft, was published to the ministry’s X account, showing the Russian warplane flying close to and around the British aircraft.
A @RoyalAirForce Rivet Joint aircraft operating in international airspace over the Black Sea was dangerously intercepted by Russian military jets – flying as close as six metres and triggering onboard emergency systems.
Despite these reckless manoeuvres, RAF crew completed their… pic.twitter.com/QyUP7dE4OJ— Ministry of Defence (@DefenceHQ) May 20, 2026
The British pilot remained calm throughout the incident, the ministry said, and completed the planned flight.
In response, the Ministry of Defense and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office this week delivered a diplomatic protest known as a demarche to the Russian embassy to condemn “the pilots’ dangerous and unacceptable behavior.”
“These actions create a serious risk of accidents and potential escalation,” Healey said in a statement.
“Let me be clear: This incident will not deter the UK’s commitment to defend NATO, our allies and our interests from Russian aggression.”
The Black Sea is bounded by Russia, Georgia, Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania and Ukraine, which has been defending itself for four years from the Kremlin’s invasion.
The ministry described the incident as the “most dangerous Russian action” against a Rivet Joint aircraft since Sept. 29, 2022, when two Russian Su-27s intercepted a reconnaissance plane over the Black Sea.
Then-British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace told the British Parliament that one of the Russian warplanes “released” a missile in the vicinity but beyond visual range of the British aircraft.
Wallace said Russia attributed the missile release was the result of a “technical malfunction.”
The incident also occurred amid heightened concern among British officials about Russian activity after the Kremlin’s Main Directorate of Deep Sea Research, known as GUGI, was detected conducting “nefarious activity” near critical underwater infrastructure.
British officials said a Russian submarine was deployed as a decoy during the operation, and the British military, along with allied assets, was able to chase the Kremlin units off.
