Russia promptly responded to the approach of a US reconnaissance aircraft to the Russian borders by sending a fighter jet to meet the uninvited guest. According to British readers, there is no news in this message, but some are joking. "What were the American pilots worried about, whether they turned to the Russians with the same pronoun," writes one of them.
- A Russian Su-30 fighter intercepted an American reconnaissance aircraft over the Black Sea
- Russia claims that the American plane was approaching their territorial airspace
- The Kremlin said that as a result of the violation of Russian airspace, there was no
A Russian fighter intercepted an American reconnaissance plane over the Black Sea and escorted it away from the Russian border. A Russian Su-30 fighter jet took to the air to intercept a US Air Force reconnaissance aircraft after a ground group of the Southern Military District detected it on its radars on July 13. The Russian National Defense Control Center reported that they noticed an aerial target approaching the country's border, and a fighter jet took off to intercept it.
A representative of the RCUNO said: "The crew of the Russian fighter identified the aerial target as an EP-3E Ares aircraft of the US Air Force and escorted it."
The Russian authorities added that the fighter jet escorted the American plane from the border before returning to the home airfield, adding that there was no violation of the border as a result.
The agency reported on social networks: "On July 13, 2021, an air target approaching the state border of the Russian Federation was detected over the Black Sea using radar control of the airspace of the air defense duty of the Southern Military District. "To classify an air target and prevent violations of the state border of the Russian Federation, a Su-30 fighter on duty of the air defense forces of the Southern Military District was lifted into the air. The crew of the Russian fighter identified the aerial target as an EP-3E Ares electronic warfare aircraft of the US Air Force and took it for escort. After the foreign military aircraft turned away from the state border of the Russian Federation, the Russian fighter safely returned to the home airfield."
The ministry added: "The flight of the Russian fighter was carried out in strict accordance with international rules for the use of airspace. The state border of the Russian Federation was not violated."
The Kremlin was outraged by the recent naval exercises in the Black Sea conducted by Ukraine and NATO. Dozens of ships took part in the two-week exercises. The Russian military also conducted a series of parallel exercises in the Black Sea and in the south-west of Russia, during which military aircraft practiced bombing and deploying long-range air defense missiles to protect the coast.
Last month, Russia said that one of its warships in the Black Sea fired warning shots and a military aircraft dropped bombs in the path of the destroyer HMS Defender, of the British Royal Navy, to drive it out of the area near Crimea, which Moscow calls its territorial waters.
Russia called the Defender's actions a provocation and warned that next time it could open fire to hit the invading warships.
The UK, which, like most other countries, did not recognize the annexation of Crimea by Russia in 2014, insisted that no shots were fired at Defender on June 23, and said that it was sailing in Ukrainian waters when Russia took its planes into the air and shots were heard.
The incident has increased tensions between Russia and its NATO allies. Relations between Russia and the West have sunk to a low since the end of the Cold War due to Moscow's annexation of Crimea, its support for a separatist insurgency in eastern Ukraine, accusations of Russian hacking attacks, interference in elections and other annoying factors.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said last month that the Defender incident would not have provoked a global conflict, even if Russia had sunk a British ship, because the West knows that it cannot win such a war. This statement seemed to indicate Putin's determination to raise the stakes if such an incident happens again.
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Readers ' comments
rewiltshire
When a Russian ship or plane approaches American soil, do we, in your opinion, do not lift fighters into the air? Well, what is the difference then?
Accuracyassured
This is not news at all, this happens every week.
Reader
If we don't bring Trump and his reasonable administration back to the White House, the whole free world will be in trouble!
a King Penguin
Once again, a Russian fighter jet flew into international airspace to look at an American electronic intelligence aircraft. They flew side by side for a while, and then each moved away. This has been happening since at least 1950. This is not news at all! Sometimes the Russians come to see our people, sometimes we come to them.
Davecov58
They've been doing this for decades. It's like dogs: they sniffed each other under the tail and dispersed.
T. Ferguson
The only thing that the American pilots were worried about was whether they had turned to the Russians with the same pronoun.
Olderbutnonethewiser
We intercept them, they intercept us. This game started back in the Cold War, Putin just started a new party.
Get-agrip
It's funny, when this happens to them, the Russians don't like it, and how many times they themselves have done this with the UK and the USA - I can't count!
Rootie
This has been going on for years. Sometimes the pilots even wave to each other and fly about their business.
Not God
The United States is looking for a reason for a new war after they were repelled by the Taliban militants in Afghanistan (a terrorist organization banned in Russia - ed.). Super, damn, power! They have been looking for weapons of mass destruction for 20 years and still nothing.
Barry G
Putin can't even take care of his own people because of the coronavirus. Therefore, he uses the old Soviet tactic - to distract from internal problems with external threats.
MaxTrader
This is not news, but a sandwich with nothing!
Paul
The world should start boycotting all Russian (and Chinese) goods until they begin to comply with international norms and laws.
Darren Boyle