Two Russian military jets carried out a series of close and potentially dangerous intercepts of an unarmed British Royal Air Force surveillance aircraft over the Black Sea in mid-April, the UK's Ministry of Defence announced on Wednesday. Defence Secretary John Healey described the behaviour as "dangerous and unacceptable," warning that such actions "create a serious risk of accidents and potential escalation."

The aircraft involved was an RAF Rivet Joint — a large electronic surveillance plane capable of monitoring activity across a radius of roughly 150 miles and typically carrying a crew of up to 30. It was flying in international airspace as part of a routine NATO patrol to secure the alliance's eastern flank when the intercepts occurred. In one incident, a Russian Su-35 fighter approached closely enough to trigger the British plane's emergency systems, including disabling its autopilot. In a separate encounter, a Russian Su-27 conducted six passes in front of the Rivet Joint, at one point flying within six metres — less than 20 feet — of its nose while the aircraft was travelling at approximately 500 miles per hour. The UK's defence and foreign ministry officials subsequently filed a formal complaint with the Russian embassy. Moscow offered no immediate response.

The MoD called it the most dangerous Russian action against a UK surveillance aircraft since 2022, when a Russian plane released a missile near a Rivet Joint over the Black Sea in what Moscow later attributed to a technical malfunction. BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner described the latest incident as "really serious," citing the potential for miscalculation in an already fraught environment. The UK and Russia have been engaged in a prolonged series of diplomatic and military friction points — including the expulsion of diplomats from both sides and increased Russian naval activity near British waters.

The Black Sea incident does not stand alone. In recent weeks, the Royal Navy conducted a month-long operation involving around 500 personnel and over 450 flight hours to track three Russian submarines that had been loitering near critical undersea infrastructure in the North Atlantic. Two Russian frigates also escorted vessels — including a suspected arms shipment — through the North Sea and the Dover Strait. Meanwhile, a drone violated Lithuanian airspace on Wednesday, prompting politicians in Vilnius to shelter underground and air traffic to be temporarily suspended, further illustrating the breadth of concern across NATO's eastern and northern members.

Healey stressed that the incidents would not alter British resolve: "This incident will not deter the UK's commitment to defend NATO, our allies and our interests from Russian aggression." For analysts and NATO planners, the pattern of behaviour — from submarine activity to aerial intercepts — underscores what a UK defence review last year called an "immediate and pressing" threat from Russia, and raises difficult questions about how to maintain deterrence without inadvertently triggering the very escalation both sides say they wish to avoid.