MOSCOW: Russia’s Defence Ministry said on Sunday that Russian warplanes prevented two United States B-52H strategic bombers from violating the state border over the Barents Sea.
The incident occurred when Russian radar detected approaching air targets near its state border, prompting the immediate deployment of MiG-29 and MiG-31 fighter jets, according to a statement from the Russian Defence Ministry. The identified targets were identified as two US B-52H strategic bombers.
“Russian fighter jets intercepted the American strategic bombers as they neared the state border of the Russian Federation. Upon the approach of the Russian jets, the US bombers adjusted their flight path and subsequently withdrew from the area of Russian airspace,” the ministry reported.
The interception, conducted in accordance with international airspace regulations over neutral waters, highlighted the routine but sensitive nature of aerial encounters between major military powers.
The US Pentagon did not initially respond to requests for comment on the incident, which occurred amid ongoing geopolitical tensions, particularly heightened by the conflict in Ukraine.
This episode is not the first of its kind involving Russia and NATO countries’ military aircraft. Incidents where Russian and NATO aircraft closely approach each other’s borders have become more frequent.
Meanwhile, the Finnish Defence Forces said that two US B-52 Stratofortress bombers flew in Finnish airspace on Sunday.
In addition to the long-range bombers, two KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft and one KC-46 aerial refuelling plane also entered Finnish airspace.
According to a Defence Forces press release, the bombers’ flight was a training mission, heading south from Norway over Lapland. According to the flight tracking website Flightradar, the tankers flew to Finland from Poland.
Finland’s Defence Minister Antti Hakkanen (NCP) commented on the social media website X (formerly Twitter) about the flights. According to Hakkanen, this was a normal operation on the territory of a NATO member state.
Hakkanen stated that the flights were a demonstration of deterrence and defence.
The Defence Minister also noted that the United States is an important ally of Finland and considers the visibility of concrete action important.
