The Russian Defense Ministry responded to the Pentagon claims that a Russian aircraft allegedly performed an "unsafe" interception of a US jet over the Baltic region, saying that all Russian aircraft frights are carried out under international rules.
"All flights of Russian aircraft are held in accordance with international regulations on the use of airspace," ministry's spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov told reporters.
Earlier this month, the Pentagon accused a Russian Su-27 of flying too close to another US spy plane operating in the Baltic, again a stone's throw away from Russia's borders. The Russian Defense Ministry acknowledged the incident, but denied that unsafe maneuvers were performed.
"At the same time we want to note that the RC-135U reconnaissance plane tries to sneak up to the Russian border with the transponder turned off all the time. Therefore, air defense forces on duty have to lift our fighter to visually identify the type of aircraft and its tail number," Konashenkov added.
While Pentagon continues to complain of Russian "aggression," Kremlin defense forces respond in precisely the same manner that the US does when foreign military units approach its borders.
