Did Russia shoot down its own plane? British intelligence shares analysis. Tensions and pressure on the Russian soldiers could be the causes of the incident.
Just days before the shoot-down, Ukraine attacked the Black Sea Fleet and targets in Sevastopol on March 24. British intelligence assumes that Russian air defenses were increased as a result of the attacks. The downing of the Su-27 could therefore be due to increasing pressure and tensions among Russian air defense operators, the intelligence agency added.