Russian fighter jet almost shot down an unarmed British spy plane last year, according to leaked US military documents

A Russian fighter jet shot down a British domestic airliner last year, according to US military documents.

A serious strike will affect NATO member countries.

The Pentagon filed a formal complaint with the Justice Department after the leak came to light.

According to the Washington Post, Russian fighter jets shot down an unarmed British plane last September, based on leaked US documents.

Russian missiles were fired off the coast of Crimea, part of Ukraine and the Black Sea Fleet, which Russia has occupied since 2014.

The incident was mentioned in a Pentagon document that has been widely circulated on social media in recent days.

At the time, British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace called the near miss “flawed” and said Russia had admitted the incident took place in international airspace, according to Reuters.

Wallace told British MPs that two Russian Su-27 fighter jets intercepted an RC-135 aircraft used to intercept radio transmissions and other electronic messages, and one flew “unintentionally” within 15 meters of the plane.

Article 5 of the NATO Treaty states that an armed attack against one member state is an attack against all and that each state has the right to defend itself against an aggressor.

The document, labeled “Confidential/NOFORN,” which means it cannot be shared with US citizens, contains other information about Russia’s dealings with US, British and French surveillance planes through the end of February.

Another episode, starting on December 30, saw British RC-135 fighter jets, along with two Typhoon fighter jets, fly past 100 Russian jets, according to The Post.

Last week, a list of classified US documents contained detailed information on Ukraine’s military capabilities. The leak was embarrassing for the Pentagon.

The Defense Ministry said on Sunday it was reviewing the documents to assess their authenticity.

A Pentagon deputy spokeswoman said the Justice Department had been formally asked to investigate the matter.