China News Service, February 15th. According to the US "Capitol Hill" report, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) issued a statement on the 14th stating that the US military intercepted four Russian fighter jets near Alaska on the 13th, including two Tu-95 strategic aircraft. bomber and two Su-35 fighter jets.
But NORAD stressed that the Russian mission was not considered a threat or a provocation.
NORAD officials said that they had anticipated Russia's actions and quickly dispatched two F-16 fighter jets to intercept the Russian fighter jets in the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) area after discovering the target.
The ADIZ zone covers international airspace beyond U.S. and Canadian airspace.
In addition, NORAD sent two F-35A fighter jets, an E-3 airborne early warning aircraft, and two KC-135 aerial refueling aircraft to assist.
"The Russian warplane did not enter U.S. or Canadian airspace," NORAD said in a statement.
"This type of Russian flight activity in the ADIZ is a regular occurrence and is not considered a threat nor a provocation."
In fact, since 2007, the U.S. has tracked an average of six to seven such flights by Russian military aircraft per year.
NORAD regularly monitors foreign aircraft in the ADIZ area and escorts them out if required.
The last such incident occurred in October 2022, when two Russian bombers entered the area.
According to the TASS news agency, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported earlier on the 14th that two Tu-95MS strategic bombers of the Russian Aerospace Forces performed a routine flight mission over the neutral waters of the Bering Sea, and the flight time exceeded 7 hours.
According to reports, the Russian long-range aviation regularly performs cruise missions over the neutral waters of the Arctic, North Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Black Sea and Baltic Sea.
All flights strictly adhere to international guidelines regarding the use of public airspace.