Russia says US plane almost hit its airliner

MOSCOW has said that an American plane threatened civilian aircraft but “catastrophe” was avoided when a Russian passenger plane dived to avoid the Nato reconnaissance aircraft that crossed its path above the Black Sea.

A Nato CL600 reconnaissance aircraft descended rapidly across the planned route for a Tel Aviv to Moscow Aeroflot service with 142 people on board at the end of last week, Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency has said.

The Aeroflot flight reportedly had to drop 1,600ft to keep its distance from the reconnaissance aircraft, which the pilots saw from the cockpit with the naked eye.

A second plane, a smaller CL650 aircraft, flying from the Black Sea resort of Sochi to Skopje, the capital of North Macedonia, also had to divert to avoid the spy plane, the Russian air transport authority said on Saturday.

“The direction and altitude of the commercial flights were immediately altered” to avoid a collision, the agency claimed, adding that the unknown plane did not respond to radio hails from air traffic control.

While the agency did not say which nation had operated the spy plane, Maria Zakharova, of the Russian foreign ministry, indicated yesterday that the aircraft belonged to the US.

“The actions of the US Air Force have created a threat to civil aviation,” Ms Zakharova said on a messaging app.

“If now a catastrophe in the airspace over the open waters of the Black Sea has been averted, this does not mean that the [US] and Nato can continue to risk people’s lives with impunity.”

The Federal Air Transport Agency said it would lodge a diplomatic protest.

“Increased activity by Nato aircraft near Russia’s borders, including above the Black Sea, creates a risk of dangerous accidents involving civilian aircraft,” the agency said.

The incident came as tensions rise between Russia and Western nations, which accuse Moscow of massing troops on its border with Ukraine in preparation for a possible invasion.

Russia has denied it has any such plans, in turn accusing Nato countries of “provocations” including military exercises near its borders.