In the operation, London amassed Typhoon fighters, while Sweden sent Gripens, which were deployed on NATO’s air surveillance mission in the Baltic Sea.
According to the British Royal Air Force, the Russian aircraft – the IL20 reconnaissance aircraft and the Su-27 fighter – did not meet international standards and did not communicate with the relevant authorities.
“But it remained in international airspace and flew professionally,” the British Air Force said, explaining that it was a “routine interception”.
The Russian Defense Ministry has repeatedly stated that the flights of Russian military aircraft are carried out in accordance with international regulations for the use of airspace, Russia’s state news agency TASS reported.
At the end of May, the Japanese General Staff ordered the deployment of fighter jets after two Russian reconnaissance planes were discovered, one in the Pacific Ocean and the other over the Sea of Japan.
Two days ago, Russia said it had deployed a fighter to intercept two US bombers over the Baltic Sea, which Moscow said were approaching Russia’s borders.
Accidents of Russian aircraft and aircraft from NATO countries have multiplied in recent years, even before the start of the conflict in Ukraine.
In mid-May, a similar incident occurred over the Baltic Sea involving a Russian fighter and two French and German military aircraft.
In early May, a Polish border guard plane was operating in the Black Sea on behalf of the European external border agency Frontex, which, according to Warsaw, was in danger due to the approach of a Russian fighter.
A month earlier, a US Reaper MQ9 drone was intercepted by Russian fighter jets over the Black Sea, which fell after maneuvering in the waters, causing a moment of heightened tension between Washington and Moscow.
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