Snip

After United States bombers approached the Russian border, Moscow quickly scrambled fighter jets to handle the threat. Russian MiG-29 and MiG-31 fighter jets identified two U.S. Air Force B-52H heavy bombers closing in on the border after Russia detected aerial targets over the Barents Sea.

The Barents Sea sits north of Finland, Sweden and Norway, as well as northwestern Russia.

“As the Russian fighters approached, the U.S. strategic bombers turned away from the State Border of the Russian Federation,” Moscow said in a statement according to a report by Newsweek.

The Russian aircraft “safely returned to their base airfields,” it added. “The flight of the Russian fighters was carried out in strict accordance with international rules for the use of airspace over neutral waters, observing safety measures.”

Moscow said in March that one of its MiG-31 fighter jets had been scrambled to intercept two U.S. Air Force B-1B strategic bombers over the Barents Sea. In September 2023, Russia said a MiG-31 had met a U.S. Navy P-8A approaching its airspace in the same area.

NATO countries also scramble jets when the alliance’s members detect Russian aircraft approaching their airspace.

B-52H bombers, also known as the Stratofortress, is a long-range heavy bomber that can carry conventional and nuclear weapons. –Newsweek