According to information from the BBC, a Russian fighter pilot tried to shoot down a British reconnaissance plane because of a misinterpreted radio message. It was already known that two Russian SU-27 jets encountered a British RC-135 Rivet Joint in international airspace over the Black Sea in September 2022 and one of the machines fired a guided missile.
Russia blamed technical failures and the British government publicly confirmed this reasoning.
“You have the goal”
But on Thursday the BBC reported, citing three sources familiar with the matter, that the intercepted Russian radio messages presented the situation differently. Thus, the Russian ground station is said to have sent an ambiguous message to its pilots: “You have the target.”
One of the pilots interpreted this as authorization to fire and fired, but the projectile missed the target. “It was an error, not a defect,” wrote the BBC. The other Russian pilot, who interpreted the radio message differently, turned around and insulted his wingman. The loose language shows a high level of non-existent professionalism, the BBC said citing its sources.
The British Ministry of Defense did not confirm the BBC report, but said in response: “Our aim has always been to ensure the safety of our operations, avoid unnecessary escalations and keep the public and international community informed.” it was a “stark reminder” of the possible consequences of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “barbaric invasion” of Ukraine.