A Russian jet buzzed a U.S. Navy plane, coming within 20 feet of the aircraft over the Black Sea on Tuesday.
Capt. Pamela Kunze, a spokeswoman for U.S. Naval Forces Europe, said the Su-27 flew near the P-8A Poseidon as it was "conducting routine operations in international airspace" and added that the P-8A's mission commander considered the interaction "safe and professional," NBC News noted.
According to Fox News, the Russian jet remained close to the American aircraft for at least five minutes. A defense official told the network that even though the encounter was safe, "this sort of close encounter certainly has the possibility to become dangerous in a hurry."
Russian officials called the interaction a "greeting" in a statement on Friday.
"After approaching a plane at a safe distance the Russian pilot visually identified the flying object as a U.S. surveillance plane P-8A Poseidon," the Russian military said, according to Fox News.
These encounters happen "almost every day of the week," according to the official, who also said that there have been as many as 60 similar incidents since 2007.
In February, Russian fighter jets buzzed a U.S. Navy destroyer in the Black Sea – the same destroyer that launched cruise missiles in Syria just weeks ago.
This all comes as the U.S. prepares to launch several military exercises in the same region.
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