A Russian jet nearly shot down a British spy plane flying near Ukraine, and the missile failed only to malfunction: report

• Last year, a Russian jet attempted to shoot down a British spy plane, but the missile malfunctioned, the NYT reported.

• Official reports of the incident said Russia did not consider it an escalation.

• Leaked documents and U.S. defense officials suggest what was lost was serious.

A Russian fighter jet’s attempt to shoot down a British spy plane in international airspace failed only because the missile malfunctioned. The New York Times reported.

Both leaked US intelligence documents and an account given to the NYT by anonymous defense officials paint a startling picture. The event of September 29 It appears to be much worse than initially reported.

Recently leaked US intelligence documents say the incident – which took place off the coast of Russian-held Crimea on the Black Sea – “is close to the UK’s RJ”. The Washington Post reported.

The acronym refers to the RC-135 Rivet Joint, a reconnaissance aircraft of the UK Royal Air Force.

Two unnamed US defense officials described the incident to NIT as “absolutely terrifying”.

According to him, the Russian fighter jet pilot gave the radar operator permission to fire, only to fail to successfully launch the ground-based missile after it had locked onto the British plane.

Russia’s Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.

British Defense Minister Ben Wallace He first informed the legislators At the meeting held in October, the plane was conducting routine surveillance in the international airspace.

Wallace said Rivet Joint was “engaged” by two Russian-armed SU-27 fighter jets.

One of the Russian jets “launched a missile” in the “area” of the British plane, which he described as “potentially dangerous”.

He went on to say that the Kremlin assured him it was the result of a “technical glitch” and did not see it as a deliberate escalation.

The story continues

Following the incident, the UK temporarily suspended surveillance operations, later sending them in with armed escorts.

Several governments have disputed the accuracy and authenticity of the recently released US documents, and Insider was unable to verify the documents.

The UK Ministry of Defense told the NYT: “A significant proportion of the content of these reports is untrue, fabricated or both. We strongly caution that no one can take the veracity of these claims at face value and advise them to take their time. The source and intent of such leaks is questionable.”

He declined to comment further to Insider.

The new details will come after a month A Russian jet shot down an American drone over the Black SeaState Department spokesman Ned Price called the crash “unsafe and unprofessional” and caused the drone to crash.

The incidents raise the question of aggression against NATO member states under their Article 5 doctrine, which states that an attack on one is an attack on all.

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