Russian jet causes ‘dangerous’ near miss after flying close to RAF spy plane
A Russian Su-27 jet flew dangerously close to an RAF Rivet Joint spy plane over the Black Sea, prompting concerns of a potential diplomatic crisis. The UK government condemned the incident as 'unacceptable' and highlighted the risks posed by such aggressive maneuvers. This event marks a significant escalation in Russian military activity against British aircraft in international airspace.
- ▪The Su-27 jet came within six meters of the unarmed RAF Rivet Joint, conducting six passes in front of it.
- ▪A second incident involved a Russian Su-35 jet that triggered emergency systems on the British spy plane.
- ▪UK Defence Secretary John Healey described the behavior of Russian pilots as dangerous and unacceptable.
4 outlets in our directory ran this story, first to last over 9 hours. Coverage spans 3 points on the political spectrum — 1 lean left, 1 centre, 1 lean right.
- ▪ Russian fighter jets intercept British RAF planes over Black Sea on two separate occasions — The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com
- ▪ Russian jet fighters dangerously intercept RAF plane over Black Sea — ABC News (Australia)
- ▪ Russian fighter jets fly ‘dangerously’ close to RAF spy plane over Black Sea, says MoD — The Independent
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| Original publisher | World news | The Guardian |
| Canonical URL | https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/may/20/russia-jet-near-collision-flying-near-raf-spy-plane |
| Publication time | Wed, 20 May 2026 17:00:12 GMT |
| Retrieval time | 2026-05-20T17:10:02.708Z |
| Last seen | 2026-05-20T17:36:41.665Z |
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Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
The Su-27 jet conducted six passes in front of the RAF Rivet Joint spy plane, risking a collision that could create a diplomatic crisis between the two countries. Photograph: Mikhail Palinchak/APView image in fullscreenThe Su-27 jet conducted six passes in front of the RAF Rivet Joint spy plane, risking a collision that could create a diplomatic crisis between the two countries. Photograph: Mikhail Palinchak/APRoyal Air ForceRussian jet causes ‘dangerous’ near collision after flying close to RAF spy planeUK government calls incident ‘unacceptable’ after Su-27 jet comes within six metres of unarmed spy plane over Black SeaDan Sabbagh defence and security editorWed 20 May 2026 13.00 EDTLast modified on Wed 20 May 2026 13.09 EDTSharePrefer the Guardian on GoogleA Russian jet flew within six…
Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at World news | The Guardian.
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