INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
A Russian warplane intentionally fired at a British spy aircraft over the Black Sea last year, the BBCreported Thursday, citing three
anonymous Western defense sources with knowledge of the incident.One of two Russian Su-27 fighters that shadowed an unarmed Royal Air Force
a technical malfunction, former Defense Minister Ben Wallace said in a statement to the House of Commons.But the BBC's new report states
that the RC-135 had intercepted communications between the Su-27 fighters and the Russian ground control station, which was said to have
commented on the latest report.The BBC noted that London was reluctant to provide details of the near-miss in order to avoid escalation with
Russia and to keep its intelligence-gathering capabilities secret.
