Russian jets intercept RAF spy plane over Black Sea

Two Russian warplanes repeatedly and dangerously intercepted an unarmed RAF spy plane over the Black Sea last month, the Ministry of Defence has said.

A Russian Su-35 fighter approached the Rivet Joint surveillance aircraft, getting close enough to trigger its emergency systems and disable its autopilot. A Su-27 jet also carried out six passes in front of the RAF plane, getting as close as six metres from its nose.

Defence Secretary John Healey praised the outstanding professionalism of the RAF crew during the Russian flybys, which the MoD described as the most dangerous Russian action since 2022, when a rogue pilot fired a missile at a Rivet Joint over the Black Sea.

The MoD said the Rivet Joint had been conducting a routine international flight to help secure Nato's eastern flank. Healey condemned the interceptions, saying they were another example of dangerous and unacceptable behaviour by Russian pilots toward an unarmed aircraft operating in international airspace.

He added that the incident would not deter the UK's commitment to defend Nato, its allies and its interests from Russian aggression. The MoD and Foreign Office have called on the Russian embassy to condemn the incident.

The interceptions come amid increased Russian aggression in the region, the MoD said, pointing to recent submarine activity near critical underwater British infrastructure in the North Sea. The incident follows a similar one in September 2022, when a rogue Russian pilot fired two missiles at an RAF Rivet Joint plane over the Black Sea. Russia claimed the earlier incident was caused by a technical malfunction, but three senior Western defence sources later told the BBC the pilot had fired after an ambiguous command from a Russian ground station.