Pentagon Protests ‘Unsafe’ Interception of Its Plane by Russian Jet Fighter

A Russian fighter jet intercepted a US reconnaissance plane over the Baltic Sea last week "in an unsafe and unprofessional manner'' reminiscent of Cold War tensions, the Pentagon has said.

The US European Command said on Twitter that the US was "raising this unprofessional incident with Russia in the appropriate diplomatic and official channels.''

The US Air Force RC-135U reconnaissance plane was flying a routine route in international airspace on 7 April when a Russian SU-27 fighter jet flew close by, according to a Pentagon spokesman.

Moscow accused the US plane of nearing Russian airspace with its transponder turned off, according to the Wall Street Journal. A US European Command spokesman claimed the electronic device, which identifies a plane in flight, was switched on.

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