The United States and Canada scrambled fighter jets on Thursday to intercept four Russian military aircraft approaching the Alaskan coast, as tensions between NATO and Russia continue to rise.
The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) confirmed that the Russian jets entered the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone on Thursday but did not cross into United States or Canadian airspace.
Now, footage released by the Russian Ministry of Defense shows the aircraft, including Tu-95MS "Bear" bombers, escorted by Su-30SM fighters over the Bering Strait and Sea of Okhotsk. Of course, if you want to check that footage, you can do so below.
<social>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vxxr6CNxCY</social>
Meanwhile, NATO allies have taken a firm stance. The European Union warned Russia it is "prepared to shoot down" any planes if violations continue. Hungarian fighter jets reportedly intercepted five Russian aircraft over the Baltic Sea near Latvian airspace.
British MP Yvette Cooper condemned Moscow's "provocative and reckless" airspace violations in recent weeks, emphasizing that "Ukraine's security is our security" and warning that continued incursions risk direct confrontation between NATO and Russia.
The escalation follows a string of incidents in European skies, including two Russian MiG-31 fighters entering Estonian airspace for 12 minutes last week. NATO described these incursions as part of "a wider pattern of increasingly irresponsible Russian behaviour."