A Russian Su-35 fighter jet has been scrambled to intercept two US strategic bombers over the Baltic Sea, the Russian defense ministry said.
“Two airborne targets flying in the direction of the state border of the Russian Federation” were detected by radar on Monday, he said in a statement on social media platform Telegram.
The planes were identified as two US Air Force B-52 strategic bombers “flying in the direction of the state border of the Russian Federation”.
A Su-35 fighter jet took off to prevent a border violation, the ministry continued.
“After the foreign military aircraft departed from the state border of the Russian Federation, the Russian fighter returned to its home airfield,” he added.
The National Defense Center of the Russian Federation said: “The flight of the Russian fighter was carried out in strict accordance with international rules for the use of airspace.
“No violations of the state border of the Russian Federation are allowed.”
The United States has not yet responded to the request.
It comes after the crash of a US military surveillance drone over the Black Sea on March 14 after being intercepted by Russian jets.
The US Air Force has released a video showing a Russian jet intercepting the drone and dumping fuel on it over the Black Sea.
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Russian Jet Versus US Drone: What Happened?
To know more:
I was a fighter pilot – this is how the US drone crash happened
He said two Russian Su-27 jets flew close to the MQ-9 Reaper before one struck its propeller and forced remote operators to crash it into the ocean.
The incident highlighted the growing risk of a direct confrontation between the superpowers as fighting continues in neighboring Ukraine.
US officials have accused Russian pilots of flying “recklessly, environmentally unhealthy and unprofessional”.
Moscow denied the jets behaved dangerously and said it did not make contact with the drone, claiming it crashed due to “sharp maneuvering”.
