A POLISH jet "lost control" over the Black Sea after a Russian fighter jet performed "dangerous and aggressive manoeuvres", Poland said today.
Poland's border force said the Sukhoi Su-35 failed to make radio contact before recklessly approaching the border guard plane three times "without keeping to the required safety distance".
The Polish plane, an L-410 Turbolet, experienced turbulence and the crew temporarily "lost control of the aircraft and lost altitude", the border force said.
It added the Russian plane flew just in front of the nose of the aircraft and crossed its path at a distance of "around five metres".
Government spokesman Piotr Muller said the incident was a "planned provocation by Russia".
"We can see that Russia is trying to draw international attention by such provocations," he told Polish TV.
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Romania's defence ministry – which first reported the reckless move on Friday – blasted Moscow's "aggressive and dangerous" behaviour.
They said it was "completely unacceptable".
"This incident is further evidence of the provocative approach of the Russian Federation in the Black Sea," it said.
The defence ministry said the clash took place "in international airspace over the Black Sea," 37 miles east of Romania's airspace.
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Romanian and Spanish planes were put on "pre-alert" by Nato, it added.
The Polish aircraft – which was on patrol for the EU's border agency Frontex – landed safely in Romania afterwards.
"The crew, including mainly two pilots, showed excellent skills and especially great composure, thanks to which they managed to land safely," Poland's border force said.
It comes just weeks after Russian fighter jets dumped fuel on a US Reaper drone before crashing into it.
The drone was taken down while flying over the Black Sea near Russian-occupied Crimea and the Ukraine frontline.
A Russian Su-27 jet struck the propeller of the MQ-9 Reaper drone – forcing it to crash into the sea, the US European Command said.
Prior to the collision, which happened at 7am local time, two Su-27s had "dumped fuel on and flew in front of the MQ-9" in a "reckless" and "unprofessional" manner.
The incident marked the first time since the height of the Cold War that a US aircraft was brought down by the Russians.
The US military warned it was one of several recent "aggressive" and "dangerous" actions by Russia that risked "escalation" into war.
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