Ten feet is the height of a regulation basketball hoop. It’s the distance from you to the wastebasket. It’s the length of a go-cart, or a dining room table.

And it’s the measurement of space between a high-flying Russian military jet and a United States Navy airplane recently after the former Soviet Union fighter wrongly intercepted the American craft and prolonged the potentially deadly relationship for more than a few seconds.

Rather, it lasted for minutes. Over the Black Sea Wednesday.

This from CNN:

Pentagon spokesman Jeff Davis said the potentially dangerous incident, involving a Russian SU-27 jet and a US Navy P-8A Poseidon plane, lasted 19 minutes.

A US official told CNN’s Barbara Starr that the Russian plane came within 10 feet of the P-8 at one point. Davis added that the US plane was conducting routine operations in international airspace at the time.

The official added that the US plane was operating in international airspace at the time.
“These actions have the potential to unnecessarily escalate tensions, and could result in a miscalculation or accident,” Davis said in a statement.

Putin and company have yet to react/comment publicly regarding this incident.

Stay tuned to the blog for more on this developing story.