German aircraft were entering Russian airspace over the Baltic Sea when one of Russia’s Su-27 fighter jets intercepted it, the country claimed late on Wednesday.
The Russian Federation’s National Centre for State Defense Control issued a statement that read, “A Su-27 fighter jet of the Western Military District scrambled to identify the air target and prevent a violation of the state border of the Russian Federation.”
According to the statement, the Russian fighter jet recognized the aircraft as a German Navy R-3C Orion base patrol aircraft, but later returned to its airport after the aircraft diverted from its course.
It claimed that the German planes didn’t cross any state boundaries of Russia.
“The Russian fighter jet made a flight in strict compliance with the international rules for the use of airspace over international waters without crossing any air routes or coming in dangerously close proximity to an aircraft of a foreign state,” the statement continued.