"Actual Shootdown Nearly Justified NATO Direct Intervention"
A document presumed to be a classified U.S. Department of Defense file has revealed that the Russian military nearly shot down a British reconnaissance aircraft over the Black Sea last September, sparking controversy. Had the aircraft actually been shot down, it could have provided NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) with a direct justification for military intervention in the Ukraine war. Following the recent incident where a Russian fighter jet shot down a U.S. MQ-9 drone, the disclosure of this information is expected to heighten concerns about a potential direct confrontation between Russia and the West.
On the 7th (local time), a photo of a document presumed to be a leaked confidential U.S. Department of Defense document circulated through social networking services (SNS) such as Twitter and Discord. [Image source=Twitter]
The Washington Post (WP) reported on the 9th (local time), citing a recently leaked document presumed to be a classified U.S. Department of Defense report, that on September 29 last year, Russian forces nearly shot down a British reconnaissance aircraft off the coast of the Crimean Peninsula. WP stated, "The Department of Defense document described that the Russian military nearly 'shot down' the British RJ," adding, "It was an incident where the two sides almost directly clashed." Here, RJ refers to the Boeing RC-135 Rivet Joint operated by the British military.
Earlier, British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace reported the incident to the UK House of Commons in October last year, stating that two Russian Su-27 fighter jets blocked the RC-135 aircraft in international airspace over the Black Sea, with one jet recklessly approaching within 15 feet (approximately 4.5 meters). He also revealed that one of the Russian fighters fired a missile from a distance. However, the House of Commons report did not mention that the reconnaissance aircraft was nearly shot down.
WP explained, "This shows that at the time, Western military authorities, while collecting war intelligence to assist Ukrainian forces, were concerned about direct clashes with Russia and tried to avoid using strong language to maintain balance."
Meanwhile, U.S. and British authorities have not responded to the report, WP said. According to WP, a U.S. Department of Defense official declined to comment on the contents of the leaked classified documents, including this incident, and the British Embassy in Washington also did not respond. The Russian Embassy in Washington likewise did not respond to requests for comment.
As it has become known that collisions between Western reconnaissance aircraft and Russian fighter jets over the Black Sea have continued, concerns about direct clashes between the two sides are expected to grow. Earlier, on the 14th of last month, two Russian Su-27 fighter jets doused a U.S. MQ-9 drone with fuel and collided with it, causing the drone to crash into the Black Sea, which sparked controversy both inside and outside the United States.
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