British Defense Minister Ben Wallace announced that a Russian aircraft fired a missile near a British aircraft on patrol in international airspace over the Black Sea on September 29.
Speaking in parliament, Wallace said that a Russian aircraft fired a missile near an unarmed British Royal Air Force (RAF) aircraft on routine patrol over the Black Sea.
Wallace said that the UK suspended patrols following this incident on September 29 and conveyed its concerns to Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu, adding that Russia stated that it was a “technical malfunction”.
Wallace said the UK then resumed patrols, describing the incident as “potentially dangerous” but adding that it was not seen as a “deliberate escalation”.
“Our analysis agrees that it was a malfunction,” Minister Wallace said.
