Two Russian Su-27 jets intercepted two British fighter jets and a spy plane approaching the Russian border from across the Black Sea and forced them to turn away, claimed the country’s Ministry of Defense on Monday, June 26.
“The crews of Russian fighters identified the air targets as an RC-135 surveillance, intelligence and electronic warfare aircraft and two Typhoon multirole fighters” and “when Russian fighters approached, the foreign military aircraft made a U-turn and headed away from the border,” the Ministry claimed in a statement, reported RT.
Russia said that its fighters took the necessary step to intercept the British jets to prevent any violation of its borders. It said that the action was in accordance with the rules of international law.
This was yet another serious incident involving the air forces of NATO and Russia. In March, a US MQ-9 drone was drowned in the Black Sea following interception by a Russian jet.
Russia had alleged that the US drone was trying to spy and collect data to be handed over to Ukrainians to launch attacks against Russian forces.
The US-led NATO is backing Ukraine in the war against Russia, which began in February last year, and providing it billions of dollars in military aid, including fighter jets and training to operate them.
Repeated skirmishes involving NATO and Russia air forces
There have been several other incidents in the region since March involving the air forces of NATO members and Russia, with each accusing the other of attempted breach of air spaces.
The UK air force issued a statement on Sunday, claiming that its forces operating as NATO’s “air policing mission” have intercepted at least 21 Russian jets in the first 21 days of June.
On June 9, Russia accused another British aircraft of intercepting Russian jets over the Baltic Sea using an Estonian air base.
In March, days after the MQ-9 drowning, Russian jets intercepted two US B-52 bombers over the Baltic Sea.
Repeated skirmishes between NATO and Russian air forces have increased apprehensions of an all out war involving various nuclear powers in the region. Tensions are already high over the military aid provided by NATO countries to Ukraine.
Russia accuses NATO of fighting a proxy war against it using Ukraine. Despite Russian objections, NATO has supplied Ukraine with fighter aircraft. The UK is also providing training to Ukrainian forces to operate the jets.
Meanwhile, the Russian air force started a tactical fighter jet exercise over the Baltic Sea on Monday to prepare for “combat and special task operations.”
NATO forces concluded their weeks-long air force exercises called Air Defender 23 on June 23 in the same region. While NATO officially denied that the largest air exercise in its history had anything to do with Russia, it was widely conceived as such given the ongoing war in the region.
