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Total of 22 Aircraft Spotted Spying Near Russian Borders Over Past Week

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - A total of 22 aircraft have been found out conducting reconnaissance operations along Russian borders over the past week, the Russian armed forces' official media outlet Krasnaya Zvezda (Red Star) reported on Friday.
Sputnik

According to the infographics of the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper, 13 fighter jets of the Russian air defense alert forces have been mobilized over the past week to prevent border violations. No foreign aircraft, however, entered the airspace over the given period, the media added.

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According to Russian military's data, Russian planes were scrambled a total of 294 times during 2017 to intercept and shadow foreign reconnaissance aircraft. Those spy activities on Russia's border involved flights by US, British, French, Swedish, and Norwegian aircraft.

Earlier in February, Russian Defense Ministry stated that the number of air incidents involving Russian and NATO aircraft has increased since 2014 due to the growing presence of the alliance's forces near Russia's western border. Moscow repeatedly stressed it had never planned and does not plan to attack any NATO member.

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