According to Pentagon sources, the incidents occurred in international airspace on February 11 and 12.
The publication reports that three Russian Su-35 fighters crossed the flight path of three American P-8A reconnaissance aircraft. At one point, the planes of the two countries were at a distance of 5 feet (1.5 meters – ed.) from each other.
The Pentagon rated two incidents as unsafe and a third as unprofessional.
“We have conveyed our concerns through diplomatic channels to Russian officials. No one was hurt, but such interactions could lead to misjudgments and errors, which would lead to dangerous results,” said US Navy Capt. Mike Kafka.
It is noted that these are the first such incidents involving US and Russian aircraft since 2020. Then the American side reported that two Su-35s made an unsafe interception of a P-8A Poseidon patrol aircraft.
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