Two British fighter planes were dispatched on Thursday to monitor two Russian Bear-F planes which were flying over the North Sea near its airspace, the British Ministry of Defense said on Friday.
British Air Force planes were launched under NATO command to monitor these Russian planes as they passed through international airspace. Spotted in “the area of interest of the United Kingdom”, the planes did not, however, and “at no time”, cross “the sovereign airspace of the country”, specified the military authorities.
This incident comes a few days after Russian military ships were seen in the Channel, the ministry added. The Royal Navy had mobilized several ships to escort them.
“Our adversaries must not doubt our unwavering determination and our formidable ability to protect the United Kingdom,” said Secretary of State for the Armed Forces Luke Pollard, quoted in the press release. And added: “I would like to thank the members of our armed forces who took part in this operation. Their professionalism and skills were on full display while working in complete harmony with our NATO allies to uphold international standards.”
Incidents involving Russian planes and aircraft from NATO countries have increased in recent years, even before the start of the conflict in Ukraine. They often took place over the Baltic Sea but also in the Black Sea and elsewhere. In August 2023, Russian bombers were intercepted by British fighter jets while flying north of Scotland,
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Conversely, last March, Russia said it had intercepted three French military planes in the Black Sea. “As the Russian fighter approached, the foreign military aircraft turned around,” announced the Russian Ministry of Defense in a press release, specifying that they were two Rafales and a radar plane from the French army. Information which had been denied by Paris.
