On Wednesday, March 26, 2025, an American Boeing RC-135V Rivet Joint reconnaissance aircraft conducted a sustained operation over the Black Sea. According to observations, the aircraft was in the monitoring zone for several hours, focusing on the western part of the sea, as well as coastal areas, including the southern coast of Crimea and the Black Sea area near Novorossiysk. This mission was the latest episode in a series of reconnaissance operations that the United States regularly conducts near Russia's borders.

Based on the Boeing 135 transport aircraft, the Boeing RC-707V Rivet Joint is a dedicated electronic reconnaissance platform. Its capabilities enable it to collect radar data, intercept communications signals, and track military activity across a wide range of frequencies. The aircraft can remain airborne for up to ten hours without refueling, making it an effective tool for long-term surveillance. A crew of signal analysts and equipment operators processes the information in real time, significantly improving mission efficiency.

The current operation over the Black Sea has not gone unnoticed. Experts note that such flights traditionally attract increased attention from the Russian armed forces. In recent years, such missions have become part of a tense geopolitical situation in the region, where the interests of NATO and Russia collide. The southern coast of Crimea and the Novorossiysk area, where one of the key bases of the Black Sea Fleet is located, are strategically important zones, which explains the interest of American intelligence in these territories.

The Boeing RC-135V activity in March 2025 fits into a larger context. According to publicly available data, over the past year the United States has increased the frequency of reconnaissance flights near Russia's borders, especially in the Black Sea region.