A Russian pilot fired two missiles towards an RAF surveillance plane after mistakenly believing he had permission to fire. Following the incident last September, Russia claimed it had been caused by a “technical malfunction” with the UK’s Ministry of Defence publicly accepting their explanation. However, intercepted communications reveal that one of the Russian pilots believed he had been given permission to target the aircraft following an ambiguous command from a Russian ground station. The two Russian SU-27 fighter jets had encountered the RAF plane, which was carrying a crew of up to 30 people, as it was flying a surveillance mission over the Black Sea in international airspace on 29 September. Three Western defence sources with knowledge of the incident have told the BBC that the two Russian pilots received words to the effect of “you have the target”. This prompted one of the pilots to release an air-to-air missile, which successfully launched but failed to strike its target. A row then broke out between the two Russian pilots, as the second did not believe they had been given permission to fire. However, a second missile was released but simply fell from the wing - suggesting the launch was aborted or the weapon malfunctioned. As the Rivet Joint is loaded with sensors to intercept communications, the RAF crew would have been able to listen in to the incident which could have resulted in their own deaths. After the Russian Ministry of Defence called it a “technical malfunction”, the UK government confirmed the incident had taken place. In a statement to MPs on 20 October, the former Defence Secretary Ben Wallace described it as a “potentially dangerous engagement”. However, he added: "We do not consider this incident to constitute a deliberate escalation on the part of the Russians, and our analysis concurs that it was due to a malfunction." An intelligence leak, published online by US airman Jack Teixera, revealed that the US miliary spoke of the incident as a “near shoot-down”. “The incident was far more serious than originally portrayed and could have amounted to an act of war,” the New York Times reported. The MoD has now told the BBC that “this incident is a stark reminder of the potential consequences of Putin’s barbaric invasion of Ukraine.” Read More South Korea expresses 'concern and regret' over military cooperation talks between Kim and Putin What is a Storm Shadow cruise missile? Weapons, spy satellites and nuclear ambitions: what we learned from Putin’s summit with Kim Jong-un in Russia The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary

Former New England Patriots star Asante Samuel had a field day with the cheating allegations from Pittsburgh Steelers legend Ben Roethlisberger.

'As a parent, you don’t want your child to die before you,' Andrew Cox, father of Eric Cox said

Katherine Heigl also revealed how her 'confidence' from appearing on 'Grey's Anatomy' caused her to become 'mouthy'

Apple Inc. risks having to pay a €13 billion ($14 billion) tax bill to Ireland after an adviser

A former Republican legislative candidate who traveled to Washington for the “Stop the Steal” rally has been charged with federal crimes for his role in the 2021 U.S. Capitol riot

Co-owner Adin Ross has revealed two Twitch superstars have been blocked from the platform: Hasan and Mizkif

THE HAGUE (Reuters) -Russia on Thursday denied Ukrainian accusations that it backed pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine in 2014 and

By Francesco Canepa FRANKFURT European Central Bank policymakers are reviewing the interest the bank pays on government cash

Braves MVP candidate Ronald Acuña Jr. took exception to a pitch way inside from Pirates pitcher Johan Oviedo, which resulted in a heated exchange that led to the benches clearing.

Speaker Kevin McCarthy deflected questions about the additional charges filed Thursday against former President Donald Trump in the case alleging mishandling of classified documents during his time in the White House, instead pointing to President Joe Biden.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday alleged violations of international law in Gaza and urged an immediate ceasefire as Israel pounds the Palestinian territory in response to Hamas attacks, with...