The Russian Defense Ministry refuted on Tuesday Seoul's claims that Russian aircraft had violated the South Korean airspace, stressing that two South Korean F-16 fighters had carried out non-professional maneuvers crossing the course of Russia's Tu-95MS strategic bombers and jeopardizing their security
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 23rd July, 2019) The Russian Defense Ministry refuted on Tuesday Seoul's claims that Russian aircraft had violated the South Korean airspace, stressing that two South Korean F-16 fighters had carried out non-professional maneuvers crossing the course of Russia's Tu-95MS strategic bombers and jeopardizing their security.
"On July 23, 2019, two Tu-95MS strategic bombers of the Russian Aerospace Forces were carrying out a scheduled flight over neutral waters of the Sea of Japan. Near the Dokdo islands (Takeshima), two South Korean F-16 fighters approached the Russian aircraft, carried out non-professional maneuvers, crossed the course of the Russian strategic weapon carriers and jeopardized their security. South Korean pilots did not contact Tu-95MS crews and, after shooting at heat flares, they conducted a maneuver and moved away from the Russian aircraft," the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.
"TU-95MS routes did not deviate from the plan, in compliance with international regulations. [The aircraft] were moving at a distance of over 25 kilometers [15.5 miles] from the Dokdo islands (Takeshima) and were not violating the South Korean airspace," the ministry added.
The Russian Defense Ministry accused South Korea of repeatedly trying to impede Russia's flights over neutral waters of the Sea of Japan referring to some "air defense identification zone," unilaterally imposed by Seoul, not envisaged in international regulations and not recognized by Russia.
The ministry refuted Seoul's claims that South Korean fighters had fired warning shots at the Russian aircraft.
"There were no warning shots from South Korean fighters. If Russian pilots had felt that their safety had been jeopardized, an immediate response would have followed," the Russian Defense Ministry emphasized.
