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This is the dramatic moment a Russian fighter jet intercepted two US nuclear bombers over the Baltic Sea.
Tensions between Washington and Moscow have only worsened after two Russian pilots destroyed an American drone, plunging it into the Black Sea earlier this months.
Yet another incident in the air in less than 10 days is unlikely to fix the diplomatic furor.
Russia’s defence ministry claimed a single Su-35 was scrambled to meet the B-52 strategic bombers that were flying in the direction of its border on Monday.
‘On March 20, radar facilities of the air defence forces of the Western military district on duty over the Baltic Sea detected two air targets flying in the direction of the Russian Federation’s state border,’ the ministry said on Telegram.
It said the targets were US Air Force B52H strategic bombers.
The Su-35 fighter jet took to the air in order to prevent a border violation.
The statement added that ‘after the foreign military aircraft moved away from the Russian Federation state border, the Russian fighter returned to its base airfield.’
The ministry said the Su-35’s flight was strictly in line with international rules of the use of airspace.
‘No violation of the state border of the Russian Federation was permitted,’ it said.
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This is yet another incident in the air in less than 10 days.
