Report says military encounters between Russia and West are rising, could lead to escalation

LONDON – A London-based think-tank said Monday Russian forces have been involved in dozens of close encounters with Western militaries since Moscow annexed Crimea — and that both sides risk losing control over events.

A study by the European Leadership Network offered details on 40 incidents and said that they add up to a disturbing pattern over a wide geographic area.

It singled out three incidents in the last eight months as being particularly high risk: a near-collision between a SAS civilian airliner and a Russian surveillance plane; the abduction of an Estonian intelligence officer and a Swedish submarine hunt.

Tensions have been high since Russia’s annexation of the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in March. NATO in October said its pilots have conducted over 100 intercepts of Russian aircraft this year, about three times more than in 2013.