The US Navy posted a video on Twitter showing Russian fighter jets carrying weapons flying a few meters away from US aircraft.
In the video, the Su-27 flew close to the US reconnaissance aircraft, only seeing the belly of the aircraft before it left. Russian fighters appear to be armed with missiles.
According to the US Navy, the Su-27 flew around the EP-3 for about 25 minutes, while affirming that the US aircraft operated under international law.
This interaction is determined to be unsafe, as the Su-27 flew at high speeds, cutting in front of the US aircraft, endangering the pilot and crew, the US Navy said in a statement.
The Russian Defense Ministry acknowledged the incident, but confirmed that the Su-27 kept a safe distance from EP-3.
The Russian attack team reported identifying a US electronic reconnaissance aircraft and escorting it to prevent Russian airspace violations, while complying with all safety instructions, RT quoted the Russian Defense Ministry as saying.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, US reconnaissance aircraft regularly approach the Russian border, forcing Russian aircraft to be ready to escort to keep the airspace clean. However, the Pentagon has repeatedly complained about Moscow's actions, accusing the Russian pilots of being "unprofessional" or " unsafe".
On November 1, the Russian Defense Ministry said that at least 17 foreign aircraft and drones have conducted reconnaissance flights near the Russian border in just one week. Russia has deployed its vehicles four times to prevent potential violations.
