A Russian Sukhoi Su-35 fighter intercepted a Polish plane on a Frontex mission over the Black Sea on Friday, causing the pilots to temporarily "lose control" of the aircraft, according to a statement issued in Warsaw on Sunday.
Polish government spokesman Piotr Müller said it was a "planned provocation by Russia" on private Polsat News television.
On Saturday night, Romania, which was the first to mention the incident, denounced "totally unacceptable aggressive behaviour" from Moscow.
According to Polish border guards, the Russian plane "entered without any radio contact into the area of operations designated by Romania", carried out "aggressive and dangerous maneuvers, approaching the Polish border guard plane three times without the necessary safety distance". .
As a result, the aircraft, an L-410 Turbolet, "experienced significant turbulence" and the crew, consisting of five officers, including two pilots, "lost control of the aircraft and lost altitude."
Polish border guards said the Russian jet passed "right in front of the plane's nose", crossing its path at an estimated distance of "about 5 metres".
After the incident, the Polish plane landed safely in Romania.
This incident is "further evidence of Russia's provocative approach to the Black Sea," the Romanian defense minister said in a statement late Saturday, deploring the "repeated dangerous maneuvers" of an "irresponsible" Russian pilot.
According to the statement, the unarmed Polish plane that "monitors the migration risk" was about 60 kilometers east of Romanian airspace, in international airspace.
It is deployed in Romania from April 19 to May 17 as part of an operation organized by Romania and coordinated by the European external border agency Frontex, in which Spain and Sweden participate.
Incidents involving Russian planes and planes from NATO countries have multiplied in recent years, even before the start of the conflict in Ukraine.
They often took place over the Baltic Sea, but also in the Black Sea and elsewhere.
