Sukhoi Su-27 fighter escorts two Rafale aircraft and flying radar over Black Sea

A Russian Su-27 fighter was scrambled to escort a group of French Air Force aircraft over the area of the Black Sea, the Russian Ministry of Defenсe said.

"The crew of the Russian fighter identified the air targets as an E-3F long-range radar detection and control aircraft (AWACS) and two Rafale C multi-role fighters of the French Air Force. As the Russian fighter approached, the foreign military aircraft turned away from the State border of the Russian Federation and left the airspace above the waters of the Black Sea,” the department said.

The flight took place in strict accordance with international rules for the use of airspace. The Russian fighter did not make a dangerous approach to the foreign aircraft.

Since the beginning of the special military operation in Ukraine, the number of flights of Western combat and reconnaissance aircraft over the Black Sea has increased. On February 22, a British reconnaissance aircraft RC-135 Rivet Joint was spotted near Crimea. The plane was escorted by two Eurofighter Typhoon fighters.

A US Navy aircraft was spotted near Crimea in late January when the Ukrainian military attacked the peninsula. The American plane was flying over the Black Sea coast of Romania, about 250 kilometres from the western part of Crimea. Its track began in Sicily near Sigonella US Naval Air Station.

It is believed that Western aircraft try to collect strategic information and transfer it to Kyiv for further attacks.