A Russian fighter jet on Tuesday intercepted a U.S. spy plane over the Black Sea, in a manner that U.S. officials reportedly described as "unsafe and unprofessional."
The Russian Sukhoi Su-27 fighter jet came within 10 feet of a U.S. Navy surveillance plane in an incident that lasted roughly 19 minutes, Reuters reported Wedneday, citing two U.S. defense officials. The officials described the Russian jet’s behavior as "unsafe and unprofessional."
"They’re up there for 12 hours and there are lots of interactions. But only one of the incidents was what the pilot determined was unsafe," one official, who remained anonymous, told Reuters.
A spokesman for the Pentagon later characterized the incident as an "unsafe close-range intercept of a Navy P-8A Poseidon aircraft while it conducted routine operations in international airspace over the Black Sea," according to USA Today.
There have been numerous instances of Russian jets buzzing U.S. ships and planes in recent months. In April, a Russian jet flew within 50 feet of a U.S. reconnaissance plane over the Baltic Sea, an intercept that U.S. European Command also described as unsafe and unprofessional.
The Russian Ministry of Defense, meanwhile, said that the recent intercept of the American aircraft was performed safely, according to statements carried by Russian media.
"On September 7, 2016, US Navy P8 Poseidon reconnaissance aircraft made two attempts to approach the Russian airspace over the Black Sea while flying with switched-off transponders. Su-27 fighter jets were scrambled from the Belbek airbase [in Crimea]," a spokesman for the Ministry of Defense said in a statement, according to Russia’s Sputnik News.
"The Russian pilots performed in strict adherence to international flight regulations," the spokesman stated.