Russia threatened to shoot down NATO aircraft over the Black Sea just weeks ago in potentially catastrophic escalation of the Ukraine war, France reveals
- French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu said Russia was returning to a “particularly aggressive” stance
Russia threatened several weeks ago to shoot down French flights patrolling international airspace over the Black Sea, in a potentially catastrophic escalation of the war in Ukraine, France has revealed.
French air force pilots regularly patrol NATO’s eastern flank as part of the 31-nation military alliance’s efforts to shore up its defenses since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine nearly two years ago.
The country’s defense minister, Sebastien Lecornu, did not provide specific details about the French flights or aircraft involved in the incident.
He said Russia was returning to a “particularly aggressive” posture reminiscent of the behavior of the former Soviet Union during the Cold War.
Lecornu told RTL radio: ‘A month ago, to give you a very concrete example, a Russian air traffic control system threatened to shoot down French planes in the Black Sea when we were in a free international zone where we patrol.
French air force pilots regularly patrol NATO’s eastern flank as part of the 31-nation military alliance’s efforts to shore up its defenses since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine nearly two years ago.
French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu said Russia was returning to a “particularly aggressive” posture reminiscent of the behavior of the former Soviet Union during the Cold War.
“Russia’s behavior in 2024 has no relation to what we saw in 2022 and of course before the aggression in Ukraine.
“This is explained by the fact that Russia is in difficulties on the battlefield in Ukraine.”
French flights include long-range patrols by the AWACS surveillance aircraft.
Flying high above the Black Sea coast, they use their powerful radar and other surveillance equipment to peer down at the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia captured from Ukraine and annexed in 2014.
The surveillance flights can detect missile launches, aerial bombardments and other military activities in the conflict in Ukraine.
Russian pilots have sometimes made it clear that they do not like being watched.
In 2022, a Russian fighter jet launched a missile near a British Air Force RC-135 Rivet Joint surveillance aircraft flying in international airspace over the Black Sea, the British government said.
The US government released a video of a Russian fighter jet dumping fuel on a US Air Force surveillance drone in March last year. The drone crashed in the Black Sea.