A Russian fighter jet escorted a U.S. reconnaissance aircraft over the Pacific Ocean, Russia’s Defense Ministry said Friday as tensions between Moscow and Washington escalate.
Tass, a Russian news agency, reported that ministry officials detected a U.S. RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft over the Pacific along the southeast coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula, 777 miles, on the eastern border. of Russia.
“A MiG-31 fighter jet was launched from an airfield in the Kamchatka region to identify and escort the plane,” the Russian Defense Ministry statement said. “The crew has identified it as a US RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft.”
The Russian fighter jet returned to its airfield after diverting the U.S. plane from the Russian border, Tass reported.
“The Ministry of Defense said that the flight of the Russian fighter jet was carried out in strict compliance with international standards for the use of airspace,” the exit added.
A 28-second clip posted to Twitter early Friday is allegedly showing the Russian jet escorting the American plane.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Defense is studying the meeting, Fox News reported Friday.
The airstrike comes just a day after the Biden administration imposed new sanctions on several Russian officials and companies, as well as the expulsion of ten Russian diplomats.
The big measures are intended to punish Russia for hacking SolarWinds from federal agencies and the country’s efforts to intervene in the U.S. elections, which Russia has denied.
In a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, President Biden also raised the idea of a face-to-face summit in the coming months.
Meanwhile, the Russian Foreign Ministry warned of “inevitable” retaliation and stated that “Washington should realize that it will have to pay the price for the degradation of bilateral ties.”
Russia had also warned the U.S. on Tuesday to move away from the Black Sea “for its own good” after the Biden administration said it planned to send two destroyers to the region in response to Moscow’s military presence near Ukraine.
With publishing cables