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The North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD) on Wednesday scrambled fighter jets to identify and intercept four Russian military aircraft flying close to Alaska, CBS News reported.
This is the second such incident in less than a month. Earlier in August, the US military intercepted a similar incident in which US fighter jets responded to Russian aircraft in the same region, according to CBS. According to NORAD, the Russian planes included two long-range Tu-95 bombers and two Su-35 fighter jets. They were flying in the Alaska Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ), which is international airspace next to US and Canadian territory. CBS further noted that NORAD deployed an E-3 early warning aircraft, four F-16 fighter jets and four KC-135 tanker planes to monitor and intercept the Russian aircraft. Officials said the planes did not enter US or Canadian sovereign airspace. While Russian flights in the ADIZ are not unusual, NORAD said such incidents are closely tracked as part of routine air defence measures. According to CBS, NORAD stated that the ADIZ is a designated zone in international airspace where all aircraft must identify themselves in the interest of national security. It reiterated that none of the Russian flights had breached US or Canadian borders so far. In September last year, NORAD released video footage showing a Russian jet flying dangerously close to its aircraft off the Alaskan coast, a move a US general described as "unsafe and unprofessional, " CBS noted. The incident comes at a time when European nations are also on high alert over Russian aerial activity. On Thursday, Denmark also closed an Airport after an unauthorised drone breached its airspace for over 3 hours, as per CNN. This is the second such incident in Denmark as Europe grapples with suspected Russian drone attacks. Poland and Estonia also accused that Russian drones breached their airspace multiple times earlier this week. Danish authorities are investigating large drones that disrupted flights near Copenhagen Airport earlier this week, calling them the work of a "capable actor." This comes after last month in August, US President Donald Trump had met Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Alaska summit to break a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. Well, there is no update on the Progress of that meeting, but Trump has threatened to impose sanctions on Russia and other countries buying oil from Moscow, accusing them of "funding a war". Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly this week, Trump said, "In the event that Russia is not ready to make a deal to end the war, then the United States is fully prepared to impose a very strong round of powerful tariffs." Trump also recalled his past diplomatic outreach, noting that despite a summit with Putin in Alaska, during which he urged the Russian president to hold talks with Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky, a peace deal did not materialise. (ANI)
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