A Russian fighter jet carried out an “unsafe and unprofessional” intercept of a US spy plane flying a regular patrol over the Black Sea, coming within 10 feet (3.05 metres) of the American aircraft, two US defence officials told Reuters on Wednesday. The incident comes at a time of increased tensions between the United States and Russia, who are on opposing sides of the Syrian civil war. “After the Russian fighters approached the reconnaissance aircraft for visual inspection and identification of the aircraft registration numbers, the American planes abruptly changed course and flew in the opposite direction from the Russian border,” a Russian defence ministry spokesperson, Major General Igor Konashenkov, said in a statement. But only one of the incidents was what the pilot determined was unsafe,” said another official, who was not authorized to speak publicly. In April, two Russian warplanes flew simulated attack passes near a US guided missile destroyer in the Baltic Sea.

Source: Hindustan Times September 07, 2016 18:34 UTC