Russian jets intercept U.S., Swedish, Norwegian military planes near borders
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E-mail Xinhua, September 9, 2020
MOSCOW, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- Russian jets were scrambled Tuesday to prevent possible violations of the country's borders by military aircraft belonging to the United States, Sweden and Norway, the Russian Defense Ministry has said.
A Russian Su-27 fighter intercepted a U.S. Air Force RC-135 reconnaissance plane and a Swedish Air Force Gulfstream reconnaissance aircraft over the neutral waters of the Baltic Sea, the ministry's Zvezda broadcasting service reported.
Earlier in the day, a Russian MiG-29 jet intercepted a Norwegian Air Force P-3C Orion patrol aircraft over the Barents Sea, Zvezda said in a separate report.
On Saturday, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said his country was seriously concerned about the desire of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to demonstrate its strength.
According to Shoigu, the number of NATO reconnaissance aircraft flights near Russia's borders grew to 120 in August this year from 87 in the same month last year.
Between Aug. 23 and Sept. 2, Russian jets were scrambled about 10 times to intercept NATO aircraft, Shoigu said. Enditem
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