France Accuses Russia of “Aggressive” Actions Against Reaper Drone

France has accused a Russian Su-35 fighter jet of dangerous maneuvers near its Reaper drone.

The French Minister of the Armed Forces, Sébastien Lecornu, called the actions of the Russian Su-35 fighter “aggressive” and “unacceptable.”

The provocation took place on March 2 over the Mediterranean Sea, after the Russian fighter took off from a base in Syria.

“On Sunday, a Russian SU-35 fighter jet took dangerous actions against a French Reaper drone that was conducting a reconnaissance mission in international airspace over the eastern Mediterranean,” Lecornu stated.

According to the minister, three consecutive close passes could have led to the loss of control over the drone.

Such passes demonstrate a desire to “restrict free air traffic” in the common airspace.

“These are deliberate, unprofessional and aggressive actions that are unacceptable,” Lecornu added.

France will continue to take measures to protect freedom of navigation in international air and sea spaces.

Russia has begun to conduct such provocations quite often. At the end of February, French Rafale fighter jets intercepted two Russian planes off the coast of Latvia.

In January 2025, a Russian S-400 system used its radar to guide anti-aircraft missiles at a French Atlantique 2 maritime patrol aircraft over the Baltic Sea.

Prior to that, Norwegian F-35s intercepted a Russian bomber group in the Far North.

In December last year, the North American Aerospace Command reported the detection of four Russian military aircraft in the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone.