MOSCOW, July 11 (Xinhua) -- Russian fighter jets chased away an RC-135 reconnaissance plane belonging to the U.S. Air Force over the Sea of Japan on Saturday, the Russian Defense Ministry has said.
Russian airspace control detected an air target over the neutral waters of the Sea of Japan flying towards the Russian state border, the ministry said in a statement.
Russian Su-35S and MiG-31BM fighters took off and identified the target as an RC-135 plane, before escorting the U.S. aircraft at a safe distance until it flew away from the Russian border.
The defense ministry said its jets carried out the flights in strict compliance with international rules for the use of airspace over neutral waters. Enditem
