WP claims British spy plane was "almost shot down" over the Black Sea in 2022

"A Russian fighter almost shot down a British surveillance aircraft last year," the publication claims, citing a Pentagon document leaked to the network.

The article also says that this incident "could directly involve" the United States and other NATO members in the conflict in Ukraine.

The newspaper writes that in October 2022, British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace, during a speech in the House of Commons, reported the interception of the RC-135 "in international airspace" over the Black Sea. At the same time, he did not state that the plane was "close to shooting down," the newspaper claims.

In March, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the United States ignores the fact that after the start of the Russian special military operation, the coastal areas of the Black Sea have a limited status for flights.

On March 14, the European Command of the US Armed Forces announced that the Russian Su-27 hit the propeller of the American MQ-9 drone over the Black Sea, after which the drone fell into international waters.

At the same time, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that Russian fighters did not use on-board weapons and did not come into contact with a US drone over the Black Sea.