Two Russian military jets spotted heading towards UK airspace
Two Russian military planes were spotted heading towards UK airspace earlier today, but were escorted away by RAF Typhoon fighter jets.
"At no time did the Russian military aircraft cross into UK sovereign airspace,” a spokesman for the Ministry of Defence told the BBC. He added that their presence was not considered a threat.
The Russian “Bear” strategic bombers were seen just off the north coast of Scotland, leading to a British launch from RAF Lossiemouth.
Not out of the blue
While the UK was not expecting the arrival of these jets, it doesn't come as much of a surprise – RAF planes have had to intercept Russian jets fairly regularly in recent months.
Tensions between Russia and the West have been escalating ever since the start of the Ukraine crisis in 2013, but Russia has consistently denied any wrongdoing in the matter and says its planes are obeying international rules.