Footage circulated on social media shows a Russian fighter jet intercepting a United States Navy patrol aircraft over the Black Sea, days after President Donald Trump met with President Vladimir Putin to discuss the war in Ukraine.
Newsweek has contacted the U.S. Sixth Fleet—the Navy fleet responsible for operations in Europe, including the Black Sea—for comment via its website. The Russian defense and foreign ministries did not immediately respond to a written request for comment via email.
Why It Matters
The U.S.-Russia presidential meeting in Alaska on August 15 did not secure a ceasefire in Ukraine. Moscow and Kyiv continued to launch strikes in the following days, making a summit between Putin and President Volodymyr Zelensky to secure a peace deal less likely.
Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the Pentagon has deployed unmanned aircraft for spying missions over the Black Sea, with one drone downed by a Russian fighter jet in March 2023. The U.S. recently returned to crewed sorties for such flights.
In addition to the contested Black Sea airspace, American and Russian military aircraft often encounter each other near Alaska.
What To Know
@Archer83Able shared a video of the encounter between a U.S. Navy P-8A maritime patrol aircraft and an unidentified Russian fighter jet over the Black Sea on social media platform X, formerly Twitter.
The meeting between a Russian Sukhoi fighter jet and U.S. Navy Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft/ASW plane over the Black Sea. Video reportedly from today.The P-8A is equipped with the AN/APS-154 Advanced Airborne Sensor multifunctional AESA radar, deployed under… pic.twitter.com/F6xo80Hyq4
— Status-6 (Military & Conflict News) (@Archer83Able) August 27, 2025
In the video, reportedly taken by the Russian pilot on Wednesday, both military aircraft were seen flying next to each other at close range and at the same altitude during the daytime. However, it remains unclear whether the Russian fighter jet was armed with any missiles at that time.
According to open-source flight tracking data, a P-8A aircraft was spotted conducting a mission over the Black Sea on Wednesday, flying south, southeast, and southwest of Crimea before returning to its base at Naval Air Station Sigonella in Italy.
It was not immediately clear whether it was the same P-8A aircraft intercepted by the Russian jet.
@Archer83Able noted that the P-8A aircraft shown in the video deployed a radar known as the AN/APS-154 Advanced Airborne Sensor, mounted under its fuselage. Defense outlet The War Zone said it is very rare to see the radar deployed and extended from the fuselage.
According to the U.S. Navy, the AN/APS-154 radar is the next generation of maritime patrol and reconnaissance radar, providing “highly accurate battlespace situational awareness” as an integrated maritime intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and targeting asset.
AE686FUS Navy P-8A Poseidon returning to Sigonella after a mission over the Black Sea. pic.twitter.com/LcQWO2Cy4F
— Pierre Davide Borrelli (@PierreDavideB) August 27, 2025
The P-8A, also known as the Poseidon, is a multi-mission aircraft designed for anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare, as well as intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. It is equipped with a weapons bay and pylons for carrying torpedoes and missiles.
What People Are Saying
Defense outlet The War Zone commented in an article on Wednesday: “The video of the P-8 being intercepted by a Russian fighter once again highlights the relatively intense activity by surveillance aircraft and the fighters that monitor them in some of the tensest skies in Europe.”
Defense outlet The Aviationist commented in an article on Wednesday: “In addition to supporting [anti-submarine warfare] and anti-surface warfare missions, [AN/APS-154 Advanced Airborne Sensor] gives the Poseidon a valuable land surveillance function, making it a versatile platform for modern multi-domain operations.”
What Happens Next
The U.S. military is likely to continue deploying spy aircraft over the Black Sea as the war in Ukraine continues, making further aerial close encounters with Russian fighter jets likely.
The post Russian Jet Intercepts US Plane Near Ukraine: Video appeared first on Newsweek.
