A French multirole fighter aircraft Rafale F3R Marine as it prepares to land on the tarmac (Picture: AP)
Vladimir Putin has taken yet another step to a military confrontation with the West, threatening to shoot down Nato member jets.
France’s defence minister, Sébastien Lecornu, said the warning to French flights in international airspace over the Black Sea.
He did not give specific details about the aircraft involved in the incident that took place in January.
But the politician stressed that the ‘particularly aggressive’ posture is reminiscent of the former Soviet Union’s behavior during the Cold War.
He told RTL radio: ‘A month ago – to give you a very concrete example – a Russian air traffic control system threatened to shoot down French aircraft in the Black Sea when we were in a free international zone where we patrol.
‘The behavior of Russia in 2024 bears no relation to what we saw in 2022 and, obviously, before the aggression in Ukraine.
‘It is explained by the fact that Russia is in difficulty on the battlefield in Ukraine.’
French air force pilots regularly patrol on the eastern flank of Nato, part of efforts by the 31-nation military alliance to boost its defences since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine two years ago come Saturday.
French flights include long-range patrols by its AWACS surveillance aircraft.
They use radar and other surveillance gear to peer across the annexed Crimean Peninsula that was seized from Ukraine and annexed back in 2014.
The surveillance flights can spot missile launches, airborne bombing runs and other military activity in the Ukraine conflict.
Russian pilots have at times made clear that they don’t like being watched.
This is a developing news story, more to follow soon… Check back shortly for further updates.
Got a story? Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected]. Or you can submit your videos and pictures here.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
Follow Metro.co.uk on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news updates. You can now also get Metro.co.uk articles sent straight to your device. Sign up for our daily push alerts here.
Get your need-to-know latest news, feel-good stories, analysis and more by signing up to Metro’s News Updates newsletter
News Related-
The best Walmart Cyber Monday deals 2023
-
Jordan Poole took time to showboat and got his shot blocked into the stratosphere
-
The Top Canadian REITs to Buy in November 2023
-
OpenAI’s board might have been dysfunctional–but they made the right choice. Their defeat shows that in the battle between AI profits and ethics, it’s no contest
-
Russia-Ukraine Drone Warfare Rages With Dozens Headed for Moscow, Amid Deadly Winter Storm
-
Trump tells appeals court that threats to judge and clerk in NY civil fraud trial do not justify gag order
-
Can Anyone Take Paxlovid for Covid? Doctors Explain.
-
Google this week will begin deleting inactive accounts. Here's how to save yours.
-
How John Tortorella's Culture Extends from the Philadelphia Flyers to the AHL Phantoms
-
Tri-Cities' hatcheries report best Coho return in years
-
Wild release Dean Evason of head coaching duties
-
Air New Zealand’s Cyber Monday Sale Has the 'Lowest Fares of 2023' to Auckland, Sydney, and More
-
NDP tells Liberals to sweeten the deal if pharmacare legislation is delayed
-
'1,000 contacts with a club': Tiger Woods breaks down his typical tournament prep to college kids in fascinating video