Russian MiG-31 Fighter Jet Expels Norwegian Military Aircraft From Barents Sea

MiG-31 Russian Jet. (Wikimedia Commons/Mil.ru/Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation)

JAKARTA - Russian MiG-31 fighter jets successfully intercepted a Norwegian military aircraft in the Barents Sea region of the North Pole Wednesday, May 26, local time, marking the third time a Norwegian warplane has been intercepted by Russia.

In a statement, Russia's Northern Fleet press office said Russian radar detected an air target approaching the country's border on Wednesday, responding quickly to a Russian military response.

A unit of Mikoyan MiG-31 fighter jets from the Northern Fleet's rapid reaction defense force was dispatched, to carry out identification of suspicious targets over the Barents Sea.

"Russian fighter crews identified the air target as a Norwegian Air Force Orion P-3C maritime patrol aircraft to further shadow the aircraft in the Barents Sea," said a statement from the Northern Fleet press office, addressing TASS, Wednesday, May 26.

"Foreign military aircraft are not permitted to violate the borders of the Russian state," the statement said.

After the foreign military aircraft was turned away from the Russian border, the MiG-31 fighter jets safely returned to the airbase without incident.

"Russian warplanes conduct their flights in strict compliance with international rules of airspace use," the North Fleet press office stressed.

Earlier, one of the commanders of Russian forces in the Arctic Ivan Gluschenko said he sent one of his warplanes to 'escort' a Norwegian aircraft in the Arctic region, despite not breaching the border earlier this month.

"The enemy must not pass," Ivan Glushchenko said, as reported by The Moscow Times on Wednesday, May 19.

Meanwhile last month, MiG-31 fighter jets intercepted two patrol aircraft belonging to the United States and Norway over the Barents Sea. Russia identified the aircraft as the U.S.-owned P-8A Poseidon and Norway's P-3C Orion, Xinhua reported on April 20.