BUENOS AIRES, November 7 (RIA Novosti) – Colombia has demanded an explanation from Russia over an incident last week in which two Russian bombers allegedly violated the country’s airspace.
The Colombian Foreign Ministry said in a tweet Wednesday that it had submitted an official note of protest and asked Moscow to explain why its aircraft flew over Colombia without permission.
The two Tupolev Tu-160 strategic bombers entered Colombian airspace from Venezuela last Friday, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said Tuesday, according to a report on Colombia's NTN24 television station.
The aircraft were intercepted by two Colombian Kfir fighter jets while flying in Colombia's airspace, he said.
Russian officials have said that the two bombers took off from Russia on October 28 and arrived in Venezuela via the northern Atlantic Ocean. From Venezuela, the bombers flew over the Caribbean Sea and landed in Nicaragua, before returning to Russia, they said.
The Russian Defense Ministry has said that the mission was part of a combat training program and did not violate any international norms.
