Russia said Monday that it had dispatched a MiG-29 fighter jet to “prevent a violation” of its border by a Norwegian military patrol aircraft over the Barents Sea.
“As the Russian fighter approached, the foreign military plane made a U-turn away from the borders of the Russian Federation,” the Russian Defense Ministry said.
“There was no violation of the border,” the statement added, identifying the Norwegian aircraft as a P-8A Poseidon patrol plane.
The Defense Ministry said its flight was carried out in accordance with international rules, “without crossing air routes or making dangerous rapprochement.”
Norway, a NATO member, shares a land border with Russia, as well as a maritime border in the Barents Sea.
Incidents involving Russian and Western aircraft have risen in recent months amid Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
Separately, the Russian Defense Ministry said some of its strategic bombers carried out scheduled flights over neutral waters of the Baltic and northern seas, including the Barents Sea.
