United States military has said that multiple Russian military aircraft including fighter jets and strategic bombers were intercepted by North American air defence forces as they flew over international airspace near Alaska, Reuters reported.
The report quoting the North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD) statement issued on February 14, said that the aircraft, on February 13, did not enter United States or Canadian airspace and did not pose a threat.
The inexplicable string of airborne objects shot down by the US military over North America in recent weeks were not related to Russian flights.
“NORAD had anticipated this Russian activity and, as a result of our planning, was prepared to intercept it … Two NORAD F-16 fighters intercepted the Russian aircraft,” the statement said.
Although NORAD stated that it occasionally escorts planes out of the area near Alaska if necessary, it did not specify if this was the case this time, the international news agency reported.
Despite claiming on Wednesday that it has recently conducted many flights across international waters, notably in the Bering Sea between Russia and Alaska, Russia did not specify if its aircraft had been intercepted.
