Polish plane on EU border patrol narrowly avoids collision with Russian jet

Russian plane carried out ‘aggressive, dangerous manoeuvres’ around five metres away, says Poland; Romania also says Russian jet’s behaviour was unacceptable

Poland’s border guard said its aircraft suffered from turbulence, loss of altitude and temporary loss of control, in incident in international airspace

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Footage from an encounter between a US surveillance drone and a Russian fighter jet in March, which led to the drone crashing into the sea. Poland says a Russian jet flew aggressively and very closely to a Polish plane on border patrol for the EU on Friday. Photo: TNS

Published: 8:34pm, 7 May 2023

A Polish border guard aircraft on patrol for the European Union’s border agency Frontex over the Black Sea near Romania narrowly avoided a collision with a Russian fighter jet on Friday, Romania and Poland said.

A Russian SU-35 jet carried out “aggressive and dangerous manoeuvres” approaching the Polish aircraft without keeping a secure distance, leading to turbulence, loss of altitude and a temporary loss of control of the plane by the Polish crew, Anna Michalska, a border guard spokesperson, wrote on Twitter on Sunday.

“The Russian jet flew just in front of the nose of the Polish plane, crossing its trajectory at a dangerous distance, estimated by the crew at about five metres,” Michalska said.

After three approaches the Russian jet flew away, Michalska added. The incident took place in international airspace.

The Romanian Defence Ministry said in a press release that the Russian jet’s behaviour was completely unacceptable.