Russia scrambled two fighter jets to intercept a top-secret US spy plane on Saturday, raising alarm of potential military escalation between the two powers. The incident took a turn when it was revealed that the encounter took place over the Sea of Japan, just miles away fromb both Russia and China’s border. This comes amid growing military and political tensions between the US and the two other superpowers.
The Russian Defence Ministry confirmed that Russian Su-35 and MiG-31 fighter jets were scrambled on Saturday.
They were tasked with intercepting the RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft of the US air force over the Sea of Japan.
The Boeing RC-135 is a top-secret large reconnaissance aircraft used to gather information for US intelligence.
In a statement, the Russian ministry said: “On 11 July, the Russian airspace surveillance identified an air target over the neutral waters of the Sea of Japan, flying in the direction of the state border of the Russian Federation.”
JUST IN: World War 3: Donald Trump dealt MAJOR election blow over Russia
The two Russian fighter jets escorted the reconnaissance plane at a safe distance.
They both returned to the Russian home base after the US aircraft flew away from both the border zone.
The Russian aircraft carried out the flight in line with international rules concerning neutral waters, according to the ministry.
It is unclear what the US spy plane was doing over the Sea of Japan, and whether it’s activities related to Russia or China.
Earlier this week, President Donald Trump admitted for the first time that the US conducted a covert cyberattack in 2018 against Russia’s Internet Research Agency.
This morning, the former head of MI6 Sir Richard Dearlove has detailed how China could launch an attack on Britain.
He explained that Xi Jinping is in a position to deny any wrongdoing despite Britain being able to find out who the culprit is.
China has also been accused of bullying its neighbours after sending a coast guard ship into disputed waters in the South China Sea.
Andrew Scobell, a senior political scientist for the US-based RAND Corporation and a professor at Marine Corps University, said “They’re pretty damn intimidating, they do ram fishing boats, and they act like naval vessels.
“They’re using provocations, pressure, strong-arm tactics, but then at the same time the Chinese are also offering carrots and appearing reasonable in publicly seeking a negotiated solution.”