Story highlights The Russian plane was armed and flew "erratically"

The intercept occurred amid rising tensions between the two nations

Washington (CNN) A Russian Su-27 fighter jet flew within five feet of a US Air Force RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft on Monday over the Baltic Sea, according to a US official, an encounter that was assessed to be "unsafe."

The Russian plane was armed and flew "erratically," the official added, noting that the maneuvers were deemed unsafe due in part to the proximity of the aircraft.

Fox News was first to report the incident.

Meghan Henderson, a spokesperson for European Command (EUCOM), confirmed to CNN that an intercept took place while the US aircraft was "flying in international airspace over the Baltic Sea"

The Russian Knights aerobatic demonstration team fly in their Sukhoi SU-27s on February 9, 2013.

"Due to the high rate of closure speed and poor control of the (Russian) aircraft during the intercept, this interaction was determined to be unsafe," she said.

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