Russian fighter jet intercepts Frontex plane in international airspace, Romanian defense ministry says

 A Russian Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jet intercepted a Polish Border Police aircraft flying a mission above the Black Sea near the Romanian border Friday, which almost resulted in a collision, according to Romanian authorities.

The incident took place on Friday at 6.20 a.m. ET, about 60 kilometers (37 miles) east of Romania’s airspace, the Romanian defense ministry said in a statement Sunday.“The aggressive and dangerous maneuvers repeatedly performed by Russian fighters near the Polish aircraft caused high turbulence and difficulties in controlling the aircraft,” the ministry said. 

The Polish aircraft was there as part of a joint mission coordinated by the European Union border patrol system Frontex.

The mission, which is set to last until mid-December, focuses on preventing irregular migration, illegal fishing, marine pollution, and combatting other cross-border crimes in the western Black Sea, according to the defense ministry.

The ministry said that, as a result of the incident, two combat aircraft of the Romanian air force as well as two aircraft of the Spanish Air Force were prepared to intervene by the NATO Combined Air Operations Center in Torrejon, Spain, but that their intervention was not necessary.

The Polish Border Guard said on Twitter that the Russian Su-35 flew into the area without radio contact and performed "aggressive and dangerous" maneuvers.