Typhoon fighter jets that were scrambled on Wednesday interecepted four Russian military aircraft, the RAF has confirmed.
The RAF Typhoon jets were launched from RAF Lossiemouth in Moray, Scotland and were joined by a Voyager air-to-air refuelling tanker from RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire.
An RAF spokesperson said “four Russian Bear aircraft” were “intercepted and escorted” - at no point did they enter UK airspace.
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“Bear” is the Nato reporting name for the Tu-95 and Tu-142 strategic bomber.
The aircraft are routinely intercepted by the RAF if they're approaching what is described as the "UK area of interest".
This is not the first time Russian hets have been intercepted by the UK - as early as November 2021, RAF jets were launched in response to Russian TU-160 Blackjack strategic bombers.
Officials said at the time the fighters escorted the Russian aircraft out of the “area of interest”, and that the bombers did not enter UK airspace.
It comes amid rising tensions between Russia and Ukraine which stems from the annexation of Crimea in 2014, sparking a conflict between the two Eastern European nations.
Tensions soared after Russia placed a surge of troops in Crimea, leading to fears of an invasion of Ukraine which would inevitably lead to war.
