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South Korea says Russian planes were forcibly entered
South Korea claimed while avoiding further details
A statement issued by the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Seoul. South Korea said on Tuesday that Russian fighter jets unannounced entered its air buffer zone, prompting it to take unspecified tactical action in response. The phrase ‘tactical action’ is commonly used to refer to sending fighter jets to repel unauthorized foreign aircraft. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that the move was aimed at preventing accidental conflict in its air defense identification area, but did not elaborate.
The South Korean military has not confirmed Russian media reports that it sent F-16 fighter jets to shoot down two Russian Tu-95 bombers flying over the sea between the Korean peninsula and Japan. A Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jet was also flying alongside the Russian bombers. The incident comes a day after South Korea and the US began their biggest joint military exercise in years in response to North Korea’s nuclear threat.
The ‘Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise’ has been going on since September 1, in which thousands of soldiers including aircraft, warships and tanks are involved. In recent years Russian and Chinese warplanes have frequently entered South Korea’s air defense detection areas as they show strength in the midst of their fierce rivalry with the United States.
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Tags: fighter jet, Russia, South Korea
First Published: 23 August 2022, 23:17 IST
