MOSCOW, July 7. /TASS/. Russian Su-30 fighters intercepted a US Navy Boeing P-8 Poseidon multi-mission maritime patrol plane over the Black Sea on Tuesday evening, Russia’s National Defense Control Center reported on Wednesday.

Russian radar stations detected an aerial target approaching Russia’s state border. Su-30 fighters of the Black Sea Fleet’s quick reaction alert naval aviation and air defense forces were scrambled to identify the target, the statement says.

"The crews of the Russian fighters identified the aerial target as a Boeing P-8 Poseidon aircraft and shadowed it over the Black Sea," the National Defense Control Center said.

The aircraft that belonged to the United States was not allowed to violate Russia’s state border, it stressed.

Currently, NATO’s Sea Breeze multinational naval maneuvers are running in the Black Sea. The drills involve Ukraine, the United States, Canada, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey, and Latvia. About 4,000 personnel, 40 warships, 30 aircraft, and over 100 motor and armored vehicles are involved in the Sea Breeze 2021 maneuvers.

The Boeing P-8 Poseidon is an anti-submarine warfare plane that is also capable of accomplishing patrol operations. Boeing P-8 Poseidon aircraft are operational in some NATO countries, including the United States. The aircraft has an operating range of over 8,000 km. It is capable of employing various anti-ship and anti-submarine warfare armaments, including Harpoon missiles.