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Russian fighter jets nearly collided with US Navy surveillance aircraft over the Mediterranean Sea on three separate occasions this past weekend as Washington and Moscow engage in a diplomatic standoff over a potential Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Navy Capt. Mike Kafka, a Pentagon spokesman, confirmed the encounters Wednesday, describing the Russian actions as “unprofessional intercepts” and saying the US had “made our concerns known to Russian officials through diplomatic channels.”
The Defense Department did not detail the precise location of the incidents or how close the aircraft came to colliding. However, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing US defense officials, that the planes came within 5 feet of each other on one occasion.
“While no one was hurt, interactions such as these could result in miscalculations and mistakes that lead to more dangerous outcomes,” said Kafka, adding: “The US will continue to operate safely, professionally and consistent with international law in international waters and airspace. We expect Russia to do the same.”
The Journal reported that all three incidents involved Russian Su-35 jet fighters crossing into the flight paths of the American P-8A surveillance plane while in international airspace Friday and Saturday. They were the first such dangerous aerial interaction between the two militaries since 2020, officials told the paper.
“The Russians encourage their pilots to do this because they know our default setting is to be professional and to be disciplined,” retired Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, former commander of US Army forces in Europe, told the outlet. “They are trying to re-establish where the fence lines are.”
The report emerged as the US and other Western nations continue to warn that a Russian invasion of Ukraine could happen at any time. In remarks at the White House Tuesday, President Biden stated that more than 150,000 Russian forces were “encircling” Ukrainian territory.
Moscow has repeatedly claimed this week it was moving troops back from forward positions along the border. However, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday the US has seen “no meaningful pullback.”
“On the contrary, we continue to see forces, especially forces in the vanguard of any renewed aggression against Ukraine, continuing to be at the border, to mass at the border,” he told ABC’s “Good Morning America.”
“President Vladimir Putin’s put in place the capacity to act on very short notice,” Blinken added. “He can pull the trigger — he could pull it today. He could pull it tomorrow. He could pull it next week. The forces are there if he wants to renew aggression against Ukraine.”
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has concurred, saying Wednesday that “so far, we have not seen any de-escalation on the ground.”
“On the contrary, it appears that Russia continues their military build-up,” Stoltenberg added. “What we see is that they have increased the number of troops, and more troops are on the way.”
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