An American reconnaissance plane was intercepted in such an aggressive way by Russia on Sunday that the U.S. is protesting the whole situation.
The U.S. is filing a complaint due to how a Russian fighter plane went about taking down the U.S. reconnaissance plane on April 7, which, according to the Associated Press, is just the latest example of "increasingly aggressive air operations by Moscow."
Russian officials have denied all wrongdoing on the pilot's part, but Pentagon spokesman Mark Wright still announced that a complaint is being filed for the incident that took place over the Baltic Sea.
According to the Pentagon, an American RC-135U plane was flying slightly north of Poland, which is still considered international airspace. It was then intercepted by a SU-27 from Russia. The Pentagon's statement alleged that the Russian plane flew behind the American plane at high speeds and "proceeded to conduct two more passes using 'unsafe and unprofessional maneuvers' in close proximity," the AP reported.
"This air activity takes place in the context of a changed security environment in view of Russia's aggression against Ukraine," Wright said. "...Unprofessional air intercepts have the potential to cause harm to all aircrews involved. More importantly, the careless actions of a single pilot have the potential to escalate tensions between countries."
