NATO air patrol units have been put on high alert after a russian fighter jet nearly collided with a Polish plane over the Black Sea near the Romanian border.
Source. This was reported by the BBC.
The incident was first reported by a NATO official who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, and then confirmed by official sources in Romania, Poland, and Frontex, the European border guard service.
The incident occurred the day before, on May 7, in international airspace.
According to a spokesperson for the Polish Border Guard Service, a russian Su-35 aircraft performed "aggressive and dangerous maneuvers" approaching the Polish plane and not keeping a safe distance, which caused the Polish crew to temporarily lose control of their aircraft.
Specifically, the russian plane flew directly in front of the Polish plane's nose, crossing its trajectory at a dangerous distance: according to the crew, there was only five meters between the two fighters.
After three attempts to approach, the russian plane took off.
Background. As a reminder, russian fighters and a reconnaissance aircraft were intercepted in NATO airspace.