Plane of Russian defence minister ‘buzzed’ by Nato jet
According to the Russian media, A Nato fighter jet had approached a Russian plane which was carrying the defence minister however it was chased away by a Russian escort jet.
According to the information the incident had happened in international airspace over the Baltic when Sergei Shoigu was flying to the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad.
According to Nato it had tracked three Russian jets as they did not identify themselves. It further adds that the Nato jet had not been chased away.
In the previous year’s dozen of similar instances have happened.
Nato and Rsussia have blamed each other for aggressive intercepts in the strategically important region.
The US said a Russian jet had flown within 5ft (1.5m) of a US spy plane earlier this week. American officials blamed Russia for the “unsafe” encounter on Monday again over the Baltic.
However Moscow had responded by saying that the reconnaissance plane had made a “provocative” move.
According to Russian news agencies, on Wednesday 21st June 2017, Nato’s F-16 fighter jet had flown close to Mr Shoigu’s plane, who had their reporters on board the ministerial flight.
The reports say that a Russian Su-27 fighter jet then intervened and demonstrated to a Nato pilot that it was armed by dipping its wings. According to the footage which was aired later the Nato jet then flew off.
In a statement which was published later the Nato official confirmed that the alliance came in contact with Russian planes “can confirm that three Russian aircraft, including two fighters, were tracked over the Baltic Sea earlier today (Wednesday).”
“As the aircraft did not identify themselves or respond to air traffic control, Nato fighter jets scrambled to identify them, according to standard procedures. Nato has no information as to who was on board. We assess the Russian pilots’ behaviour as safe and professional.”
The official further clarified that the Nato jet had not been chased away by the Russian aircraft.
Kaliningrad, Mr Shoigu’s destination, is a highly militarised Russian enclave on the Baltic.
At a meeting with local military commanders later on Wednesday, the minister accused Nato of intensifying its military activities near Russia’s western borders.
Mr Shoigu pointed to recent exercises by the military alliance, which involved 10,000 troops, 70 vessels and the same number of warplanes.
He added that the drills illustrated the West’s reluctance to give up its anti-Russian course.
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