2024-07-22 06:57:40
Russia said on Sunday it had sent fighter jets to prevent two US strategic bombers from crossing its border over the Barents Sea in the Arctic.
The US military regularly conducts flights over international waters, operations which it says take place in neutral airspace and in accordance with international law.
But Moscow has responded more aggressively to the drills in recent months, warning in May that US drone flights over the Black Sea risked leading to a “direct” military attack.
The Russian Defense Ministry said it had dispatched fighter jets to intercept “air targets close to the border of the Russian Federation.”
“Russian fighter jets identified the aerial target as two US Air Force B-52H strategic bombers,” he added.
“As the Russian fighters approached, the US strategic bombers adjusted their flight path, leaving and then turning away from the Russian border,” he added.
In June, Moscow accused the United States of using its drones that patrol over the neutral waters of the Black Sea to help Ukraine attack the Russian-annexed Crimean Arab state.
He said the flights increased the risk of “direct confrontation” between NATO and Russia, and that his military had been ordered to prepare an “operational response.”
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