Russian fighter jet intercepts US spy plane over Black Sea

Moscow, July 5 (IANS) A Russian Su-27 fighter has chased off a US reconnaissance plane, which was approaching the Russian territorial waters over the Black Sea, the Russian Defence Ministry said on Friday."The Russian jet approached an air object at a safe distance, identified it as a US P-8A Poseidon reconnaissance aircraft, which immediately changed its direction of flight and moved away from the Russian border," it said in a statement cited by TASS news agency.The intercept took place close to the region where Russia and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) are carrying out naval force drills separately in the Black Sea, the report said.The Defence Ministry also said that Russian war planes took off three times in the last seven days to prevent foreign aircraft from violating the Russian border.
--IANS soni/