US Navy aircraft had an ‘extremely close’ encounter with multiple Russian military jets over the Mediterranean
By Barbara Starr and Oren Liebermann, CNN
A US Navy aircraft had an “extremely close” encounter with multiple Russian military jets over international waters in the Mediterranean this weekend, according to multiple US officials directly familiar with the US military reports of the incident.
The sources would not detail precisely how close the Russian aircraft came to the US Navy P-8 maritime patrol aircraft, but the maneuvers by the Russians were described as “unsafe and unprofessional.”
The initial reporting indicates there was a subsequent additional encounter after that between US and Russian jets.
Several of the officials indicated there is video of the incident. But the Biden administration has yet to publicly acknowledge any of the details amid rising tensions with the Russia as it masses troops on the border with Ukraine.
It is not unusual for Russian aircraft to approach US military aircraft but the majority of the interactions are considered safe and professional by the US.
CNN also has reported that US military aircraft escorted a Russian cargo plane and fighters across an air exclusion zone in eastern Syria on Tuesday when the Russians failed to give appropriate advance notification of their flights, according to other US officials.
US officials continue to say these close and unexpected encounters risk a miscalculation that could lead to a military incident.
The-CNN-Wire
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