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| Russian Su-27 Fighter Jets Intercept US B-1B Bombers Over the Baltic Sea |
International Military - Russia said it had dispatched Su-27 fighter jets to intercept two United States Air Force (US) B-1B strategic bombers flying over the Baltic Sea and prevent them from encroaching on Russia's state borders.
“On March 23, 2023, Russian airspace surveillance spotted two aerial targets approaching the state border of the Russian Federation over the Baltic Sea.
A Su-27 fighter of the Baltic Fleet's air defense rapid response alert troop was scrambled to identify air targets and prevent violation of the Russian state border," the Russian Defense Ministry said as quoted by Al Arabiya.
The ministry added that after keeping the foreign military aircraft away from the borders of the Russian state, the Russian fighter jets returned safely to its air base. The ministry stressed that the flight of the Russian fighter jets was carried out in accordance with international rules on the use of airspace over neutral waters.
The Baltic Sea has in recent months seen several interceptions by Russian, US and NATO aircraft. Tensions over airspace and air behavior escalated between Moscow and the West in March when a US military reconnaissance aircraft, the MQ-9 Reaper, crashed into the Black Sea, following an encounter with Russian Su-27 fighter jets in international airspace near territory claimed by Russia. has been annexed from Ukraine.