Russian MiG-31 Fighter Jet Intercepts US Aircraft over Pacific

"To identify the air target and prevent violation of the Russian state border, a MiG-31 fighter from the air defense forces of the Eastern Military District was scrambled into the air. The crew of the Russian fighter identified the air target as a strategic reconnaissance aircraft RC-135 of the US Air Force and escorted it over the Pacific Ocean", the centre said in a statement, Sputnik reported.

It noted that after escorting the foreign military aircraft from the Far Eastern state border, the Russian fighter safely returned to the airbase.

"The flight of the Russian fighter was carried out in strict accordance with international rules for the use of airspace. Violations of the state border were averted", the centre said.

NATO aircraft intensified reconnaissance activities near the Russian border at the end of last year. Moscow has warned that such regular flights by US and NATO warplanes pose the risk of an accidental escalation.