British Typhoon fighters took off on Saturday from RAF Lossiemouth air base in Scotland and RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire to escort Russian aircraft that were "in the UK's zone of interest," according to the Royal Air Force's Twitter account.
Flights were carried out in strict accordance with international airspace regulations.
The British Air Force called the incident "routine activities coordinated with several NATO allies".
The photographs attached to the message show Russian Tu-142 long-range anti-submarine warfare aircraft.