Russian Su-27 fighter jets shadowed US nuclear-capable bombers twice in last 24hrs – MoD

Russian Su-27 fighters have been scrambled to shadow US Air Force B-52H Stratofortress nuclear-capable strategic bombers over the Baltic Sea twice in the last 24 hours, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

The bombers were detected by the Russian Airspace Control Means (ACM) while they were still far away from Russian territory, the ministry said in a statement, adding that the fighter jets were deployed to prevent the aircraft from approaching the border as they were flying towards Russian territory.

The Russian military also said that US strategic aviation has stepped up activities near Russian territory in the Baltics. The strategic aircraft have flown over the Baltic Sea seven times in just over a week, the ministry’s statement said.

Earlier, the ministry released a video of one such encounter, showing Russian Su-27 jets shadowing a US B-52H bomber. It was filmed from inside the cockpit of a Russian fighter.

A US strategic bomber was spotted near the Russian border on March 18. At that time, the aircraft allegedly simulated a bombing raid on one of the Russian Baltic Fleet bases and flew less than 200 kilometers from St. Petersburg, according to RIA Novosti. A similar incident took place on March 20.

Moscow has expressed regret over Washington’s actions. These flights do not contribute to the strengthening of an atmosphere of peace and security near the Russian border, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

The nuclear-capable Stratofortress was deployed to Europe for the latest string of US training exercises with its NATO allies. The European deployment is the largest for US strategic aviation since 2003, when the allies on the continent were involved in the US-led invasion of Iraq.

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