Russia almost shot down a British jet in a horrific near miss off the coast of Ukraine, leaked military documents show

RUSSIA nearly shot down a British jet in a horrific near miss off the coast of Ukraine, leaked military documents show.

Last year Defense Secretary Ben Wallace revealed that a fighter jet fired a missile near an RAF “Nuke Sniffer” spy plane over the Black Sea.

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In a speech in the House of Commons in October, Wallace called it a “dangerous” clash.

At the time, the Defense Secretary told MPs how the RAF’s unarmed Rivet Joint was on routine patrol in international airspace in September when it was shadowed by two Russian Su-27 fighter jets.

Mr Wallace then revealed that during the 90-minute interaction off the coast of Ukraine, one of the Su-27s fired a missile near the RAF plane.

He described it as a “potentially dangerous engagement”.

But leaked US military documents circulating online have now detailed the seriousness of what happened on September 29.

The Washington Post reported that the classified documents referred to the incident as a “UK RJ near-shootdown” — which is the name of the fighter jet.

At the time, Mr Wallace said Russia attributed the missile launch to a “technical malfunction” in the Su-27 fighter jet.

He told Parliament: “We do not consider this a deliberate escalation by the Russians, our analysis would agree that there was a malfunction.

“However, it’s a reminder of how dangerous things can be if you choose to use your warplanes the way the Russians have done for many periods of time.”

The RAF’s RC-135W “sniffs” enemy signals and is also known as the “nuclear sniffer” for its ability to scan the atmosphere for signs of radioactivity.

The four-engine jets are used by Britain for electronic surveillance of enemy targets by monitoring signals from radars and other systems.

After the shocking incident, such patrols were suspended but quickly resumed – with combat escort.

Mr Walace said: “The UK MoD has shared this information with allies and after consultation I have resumed routine patrols but this time escorted by warplanes.

“Everything we do will be considered and calibrated in light of the ongoing conflicts in the region and in accordance with international law.

“We welcome Russia’s acknowledgment that this was happening in international airspace and the UK has regularly conducted operations with the RAF Rivet Joint in international airspace over the Black Sea since 2019 and we will continue to do so.”

The document leak comes as other top-secret intelligence plans were released online.

Secret US documents revealing Ukraine’s intentions ahead of a planned spring offensive against Russia have been leaked.

The top-secret military documents, which detailed US and NATO plans to help Ukraine prepare, were shared on Twitter and Telegram.

Meanwhile, pundits have warned a desperate Vladimir Putin that he could resort to the use of chemical weapons in the West to sabotage arms shipments to Ukraine.