Warsaw calls manoeuvre by Russian fighter jet a provocation

Warsaw, May 8, (dpa/GNA) – Warsaw has criticized the manoeuvre of a Russian fighter jet that came dangerously close to a Polish aircraft, according to the Polish government.

Moscow is trying to create a distraction from the failings of its military in the Kremlin’s war on Ukraine, and seeks to impress the Russian population with these kind of incidents, Polish government spokesman Piotr Müller told public broadcaster TVP on Monday.

Poland’s border guards said on Friday that a Russian fighter jet, had approached a Polish plane that was on a patrol flight for the EU border agency Frontex over the Black Sea.

The Russian Su-35 fighter jet had carried out “aggressive and dangerous manoeuvres,” the border guards said.

The crew of the Polish aircraft temporarily lost control of the turboprop aircraft, which lost altitude due to the turbulence caused by the jet fighter.

The incident occurred in international airspace within the area of operations designated by Romania.

Amid Moscow’s war on Ukraine, EU and NATO aircraft, and Russian jets, have repeatedly approached each other over the Black Sea, leading to several dangerous incidents in the past.

GNA