An armed Russian jet intercepted a US plane in an 'unsafe' manner over the Baltic Sea

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June 20, 2017 6:22 PM

The incident happened right after Russia said it would treat all US jets in certain areas over Syria as targets.

A Russian Su-27 fighter jet intercepted a US RC-135 reconnaissance plane on Monday over the Baltic Sea, two US officials told Fox News.

The Russian jet came within 5 feet of the US aircraft, Fox News said.

The US plane was flying in international airspace when it was intercepted by the Russian jet, which was armed, an Air Force spokesperson told Business Insider.

"Due to the high rate of closure speed and poor control of the aircraft, the interaction was deemed unsafe," the spokesperson said.

"Russia is within its rights to operate in international airspace, but there are international standards to ensure safety and prevent incidents," the spokesperson said.

The incident happened not long after Russia said

The incident also happened after the 45th annual BALTOPS military exercise, in which the US and 13 other western countries participated, over the Baltic Sea from June 1-16.

The exercise involved "

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