Polish Plane Intercepted by Russian Jet Over Black Sea

A Russian fighter jet intercepted a Polish plane while it was patrolling for the EU’s border agency over the Black Sea. The pilots temporarily lost control of the plane due to the turbulence caused by the Russian jet. The Russian plane did not make radio contact and flew very close to the Polish plane, crossing its path at a distance of around 16 feet. Romania’s defense ministry reported the move and condemned the “aggressive and dangerous” behavior of Russia. The incident took place in international airspace over the Black Sea, and NATO put Romanian and Spanish planes on pre-alert. The European border agency Frontex did not immediately respond when contacted by AFP. The Polish plane has been deployed in Romania from April 19 and is due to stay there until May 17 as part of a Frontex operation organized by Romania that also includes Spain and Sweden.