Russian Su-35 intercepts Polish border guard plane over the Black Sea

On Friday, a Russian Su-35 aircraft dangerously intercepted an L410 TURBOLET aircraft belonging to the Polish Border Guard Service, which was conducting a routine patrol mission under the auspices of Frontex over the Black Sea in international airspace in cooperation with Romanian services.

The incident occurred around 13:20, 60 km east of Romanian airspace.

This was reported on the website of the Romanian Ministry of Defense.

The Romanian Ministry of National Defense reported that the aggressive and dangerous maneuvers repeatedly performed by Russian fighters near the Polish aircraft caused high turbulence and difficulties in controlling the machine.

It is noted that the Su-35 flew three times directly in front of the nose of the Turbolet L-410 - according to the crew, about five meters away.
As a result of the turbulence, the Turbolet L-410 lost control and began to lose altitude.

Two Romanian Air Force fighter jets and two Spanish Air Force fighter jets operating as part of the Air Policing Combat Service were alerted by NATO's Joint Air Operations Center in Torrejon. They were ready to intervene at the earliest opportunity, but it turned out that it was not necessary.

The crew from Poland - as reported by the Romanians - behaved calmly and professionally in a situation that was irresponsibly created by the Russian pilot. The Poles recovered the plane after an initial loss of altitude caused by the Su-35's maneuvers and landed safely at Mihail Kogelnicianu Airport at around 13:50. None of the Polish crew was injured in the incident.

"The Romanian authorities are in contact with Frontex and the Polish authorities to clarify all the circumstances of the incident. The aggressive behavior of a military aircraft belonging to the Russian Federation towards an unarmed aircraft carrying out the Frontex mission to monitor migration risks in the Black Sea basin is completely unacceptable. This incident is yet another proof of the provocative behavior of the Russian Federation in the Black Sea," the Romanian Ministry of Defense said in a communiqué.

The Polish L410 UVP-E20 aircraft is in Romania from April 19 to May 17, 2023, as part of the multi-purpose maritime operation Western Black Sea 2023, coordinated by the European Border and Coast Guard Agency.

"Western Black Sea 2023 is a joint operation led by Romania and coordinated by Frontex. Poland, Spain and Sweden are also participating in the operation along with two European Union agencies. Scheduled to last until mid-December this year, the operation is aimed at preventing illegal migration, illegal fishing, marine pollution and other types of cross-border crime in the Black Sea region. Operation Western Black Sea has been conducted annually since 2019.