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BERLIN — In the latest in a string of dangerous encounters between Russian and NATO military jets, a U.S. Navy plane came within five feet of a Russian Su-27 jet on Monday, according to the State Department. The incident occurred in international airspace above the Black Sea, raising renewed concerns over the risk of midair collisions in Europe.

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said that the United States considers the incident to be of “the highest level of concern,” calling it only “the latest example of Russian military activities disregarding international norms and agreements.”

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Provocative Russian behaviour, especially since 2014, has set off alarm bells across Europe over the last few years.

Last June, a Russian fighter jet similarly came within a few feet of a U.S. reconnaissance plane over the Baltic Sea. It then lingered by the side of the U.S. plane for minutes, U.S. military officials said at the time.