Over the Black Sea, incidents occurred involving Russian fighter jets and a British RC-135 Rivet Joint reconnaissance aircraft. According to the British Defense Ministry, Russian combat aircraft carried out dangerous maneuvers near the Royal Air Force plane, in one episode approaching it at a distance of about six meters.

The incidents took place in April. London said two Russian fighter jets repeatedly intercepted the Rivet Joint over the Black Sea, and the pilots' actions were described as dangerous.

According to the British Defense Ministry, in one case a Su-35 approached the reconnaissance aircraft at a critical distance. This caused emergency systems to activate and the autopilot to disengage. In another episode, a Su-27 passed in front of the British aircraft six times, flying only a few meters from its nose.

The British side stressed that the RC-135 Rivet Joint was carrying out a routine mission in international airspace and was unarmed. After the incident, London sent a demarche to the Russian embassy, protesting the actions of the Russian pilots.

The British military department called these incidents the most serious encounter involving the Russian Aerospace Forces and British reconnaissance aviation since 2022.