Tracked By Anti-aircraft Missile Troops Radar, US Reconnaissance Plane Is Just 35 Kilometers Away From Russian Border

Illustration of United States E-8 Joint STARS reconnaissance aircraft. (Wikimedia Commons/US Air Force)

JAKARTA - A US military E-8C reconnaissance plane that took off from the USAF's Ramstein Air Base in Germany was seen just 35 kilometers from the Russian border, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement Wednesday.

"A US E-8C aircraft that took off from Ramstein Air Base in Germany continued to circle over the northwestern, central, and northeastern parts of the Black Sea for five hours 13 minutes at altitudes ranging from 7,000 to 10,000 meters as far as 35 kilometers from the Russian border," the statement read, citing TASS, November 10.

According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the plane was detected on Tuesday, its flight lasted from 14:15 to 19:28 local time. The ministry pointed out that the Russian Air Force's anti-aircraft missile forces had tracked the US aircraft via a radar system during its flight.

Russia's Defense Ministry earlier issued a statement saying the United States was seeking to establish a multinational armed forces group near Russia's borders.

The ministry pointed out that US warships had arrived in the Black Sea region to take part in a multinational exercise led by the United States European Command. According to Moscow, the guided-missile destroyer USS Porter, tanker USNS John Lenthall and command ship USS Mount Whitney are currently stationed in the region. The Russian Ministry of Defense stressed that the purpose of the United States' unexpected activity was to establish a multinational force around Russia's borders.

The statement also said such actions are a factor of regional instability, especially those aimed at using Ukrainian territory for military purposes. The Russian Ministry of Defense noted that the Russian Armed Forces are engaged in continuous monitoring, monitoring the situation.