Recent articles from the Ottawa Citizen question whether Russian military aircraft followed HMCS Fredericton in the Black Sea. These stories also allege that claims about HMCS Fredericton being trailed by a Russian naval vessel are unsubstantiated.

As the Minister of National Defence has said, there have been a number of interactions between the Russian Federation and the NATO fleet in the Black Sea.

One such incident occurred on March 6 when the aircraft passed within 500 feet overhead. This was the second air interaction during this deployment.

In addition, on March 5, a confirmed Russian military intelligence vessel trailed HMCS Fredericton at a distance of 6 km in direct response to it being there.

Such encounters have not been uncommon. Last October, during the deployment of HMCS Toronto in the Black Sea, the ship was circled by one Russian surveillance plane and two fighter jets.

Canada continues to stand with NATO allies in Eastern Europe.

src:news.gc.ca