A dangerous aerial confrontation over the Black Sea has triggered fresh fears of a direct Russia-NATO escalation amid the ongoing Ukraine war. The United Kingdom says Russian fighter jets aggressively intercepted an unarmed Royal Air Force Rivet Joint surveillance aircraft during a routine mission in international airspace. According to the UK Ministry of Defence, a Russian Su-35 fighter jet flew close enough to trigger emergency systems onboard the British aircraft, while a Su-27 reportedly made six separate passes just six metres from the plane’s nose. British officials described the encounter as the most dangerous incident involving a UK surveillance aircraft since 2022, when a Russian jet accidentally fired a missile near an RAF aircraft over the Black Sea.