The Russian military dispatched an Su-30 fighter jet as a British RC-135 reconnaissance plane tried to approach the border of Crimea, the Russian Defence Ministry stated on Thursday.
"From 12-00 to 15-00, an RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft of the British [Royal] Air Force tried to approach the Russian border off the south-western part of the Crimean Peninsula", the Defence Ministry said.
According to the statement, the British aircraft had to turn back after the Russian plane approached.
The encounter marks yet another instance in a string of reconnaissance flights over the Black Sea that NATO countries have been carrying out amid military drills near the Russian border. Moscow has repeatedly warned the bloc that its activity in the Black Sea escalates tensions, noting that by sending vessels to the area, the US is trying to push littoral countries toward confrontational policies.