British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace has said a Russian plane fired a missile over the Black Sea near an unarmed Royal Air Force plane on routine patrol. The incident is said to have occurred on September 29th.
According to Wallace, the RAF Rivet Joint RC-135 aircraft was in international airspace when it was shadowed by two armed SU-27 fighter jets. Such shadowing is not unusual, according to the minister, but it turned out that one of the jets fired a missile out of sight. Wallace described the incident as a “potentially dangerous engagement”. But he also emphasized that it was not a “deliberate escalation”.
However, the action shows the British that the rules do not apply to the Russian military and gives other examples: “In one case that I am aware of, a Russian fighter jet flew to within 15 feet of a NATO aircraft. This is inconsiderate, unnecessary and endangers the lives of many people.
Russia justified the incident over the Black Sea with a “technical malfunction” of the jet. Wallace could confirm this based on the analysis of the Department of Defense.
Nevertheless, the minister turned directly to his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu. “In my letter, I made it clear that the plane was unarmed, was in international airspace and was following a pre-arranged route,” he said.
Labor Shadow Defense Secretary Luke Pollard stressed that the incident was a “grave reminder of the importance of avoiding escalation and miscalculation while continuing the UK’s collective support for Ukraine”.
For half a year, the village of Kupyansk in the Kharkiv region was occupied by Russia. However, after the liberation by Ukrainian troops, all is not well – some citizens remember the occupiers positively.
The war in Ukraine is at a turning point, says military expert Carlo Masala. Ukraine is now under a lot of pressure and Putin is using drones because missiles are too expensive, according to the politics professor. The Kremlin boss could now open a second front and then offer a ceasefire, says the expert in a “Stern” podcast.
Russia now recruits its soldiers in prisons. One of these fighters has now been taken prisoner by the Ukrainians. He tells how he was recruited, what empty promises he fell for and what the situation is like for men like him at the front.
Russia has called 300,000 men to arms. Most of them are poorly trained, poorly equipped and brought to the front far too quickly. A deadly endeavor sparked by Putin’s chaos.
