A Russian pilot attempted to shoot down a British Air Force reconnaissance plane in September last year, believing it had permission to fire.
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Russia said at the time that the incident was due to a “technical malfunction.” The UK Ministry of Defense publicly accepted this explanation.
But senior Western defense sources reported a very different picture.
The incident was much more serious than first reported and could have amounted to an act of war, the New York Times writes, citing leaked Pentagon documents.
The RAF aircraft was on an observation mission over the Black Sea when it collided with two Russian SU-27s.
One Russian pilot thought he had been cleared to shoot down a British plane after an ambiguous command from the air traffic controller. The message was: “You have a goal.”
The second Russian pilot had a different opinion. He swore at his colleague when he fired the first missile. In the end, this missile missed, and the second one fell off the wing.
Let us remind you that British aircraft protect Ukrainian ships from Russian attack after the failure of the grain agreement.
British publication The Telegraph reports that British aircraft have been conducting patrols over the Black Sea in recent weeks to deter Russia from attacking civilian ships.
The Defense Ministry stepped up its activities in the region after Moscow began targeting grain infrastructure in July when it canceled an agreement allowing Ukraine to export grain from its Black Sea ports, the report said.
Source: Racurs
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.