U.K. Official: Russian Jet Fired Missile ‘in the Vicinity’ of British Plane

U.K. defense minister Ben Wallace revealed today that two Russian fighter jets approached an unarmed U.K. military reconnaissance plane over the Black Sea late last month. Addressing the House of Commons today, Wallace gave details about the event and explained why he chose to disclose the incident.

Wallace said that while “it was not unusual for aircraft to be shadowed,” the September 29 incident, which lasted an hour and a half, was different.

“During that interaction, however, it transpired that one of the SU-27 aircraft released a missile in the vicinity of the RAF rivet joint beyond the visual range,” he said, calling the episode a “potentially dangerous engagement.”

He told the parliamentarians that he conveyed this worry directly to Russian defense minister Sergei Shoigu and Russia’s chief of defense staff.

“In my letter, I made clear that the aircraft was unarmed, in international airspace, and following a pre-notified flight path,” he continued, adding, “I felt it was prudent to suspend these patrols in response until a response was received by the Russian state.”

Shoigu responded to his letter on October 10, claiming that the missile release was the result of a technical malfunction, Wallace said. The U.K. patrols have since resumed, with the British official pledging, “I want to assure the House that this incident will not prevent the United Kingdom’s support for Ukraine and resistance to Russia’s illegal invasion.”

Separately, North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) said in a statement that two Russian bombers were intercepted “entering and operating within the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone” on Tuesday, adding that the aircraft were operating in international airspace. The statement further said that while NORAD tracks Russian activity in the area, the incident “is not seen as a threat nor is the activity seen as provocative.”