Thursday 20 October 2022 10:13 PM Defence sources reject Kremlin claim of 'technical malfunction' after Russian ... trends now
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Defence sources have rejected Russia's claims that a 'technical malfunction' caused one of its fighter jets to fire a missile close to a British spy plane.
They told the Daily Mail that the incident – revealed yesterday by Defence Secretary Ben Wallace – was more likely a Kremlin warning over Britain's military support for Ukraine.
Mr Wallace told the House of Commons that an Su-27 fighter jet had intercepted the intelligence-gathering aircraft over the Black Sea on September 29.
The Russian jet fired a missile which missed the RAF Rivet Joint – an aircraft packed with sensors and software capable of intercepting Russian military communications.
Responding to an official complaint submitted by Mr Wallace, Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu insisted the firing of the missile was a mistake.
But defence sources cast doubt over Russia's explanation, claiming the missile was fired deliberately.
Retired Rear Admiral Chris Parry said: 'Of course it wasn't an accident. The incident displayed clear intimidatory intent. We are in a strategic conflict with Russia now. We need to be tougher and to face down these criminals.'
The incident closely resembled another hostile interaction between British and Russian forces in the same region in June 2021.
An RAF RC-135 Rivet Joint spy plane had been flying over international waters near Crimea at the time of the incident last month (file image)
Two Russian Su-27 fighter jets 'interacted with' the British plane, Ben Wallace said (file image)
Then, a Russian coastguard vessel fired
