Russia ‘intercepts’ British warplanes over Black Sea

MOSCOW (AFP): Amid growing tensions between Russia and the West, Kremlin on Monday claimed that it had scrambled two fighter jets as British warplanes approached its border above the Black Sea. 

According to a statement issued from defence ministry, “As the Russian fighter jets approached, the foreign warplanes turned around and distanced themselves from the Russian border.”

The ministry said the planes involved were two British Typhoon jets accompanied by an RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft.

“The Russian planes safely returned to their airfield. There was no violation of the Russian border,” said the ministry.

Incidents involving Russian and Western aircraft have multiplied over the Black Sea and Baltic Sea in recent months, as Moscow pursues its offensive in Ukraine.

In May, Moscow said it had intercepted four American strategic bombers above the Baltic Sea in two separate incidents in the space of one week.

Russia also scrambled warplanes to intercept French, German, and Polish aircraft.

In April, an American Reaper MQ-9 military drone crashed in the Black Sea after a confrontation Washington blamed on two Russian fighter jets.

On June 9, the British Royal Air Force warplanes were twice scrambled over the course of 24 hours to intercept Russian aircraft flying close to NATO airspace, the Ministry of Defence in London had said.