This is the dramatic moment a Russian fighter jet intercepted two US nuclear bombers over the Baltic Sea just days after an American drone was shot down.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said a single Su-35 was scrambled to hit the B-52 strategic bombers, which were flying towards Russia’s border on Monday but returned to base after being removed.
The development came as Moscow said it had flown two of its own nuclear bombers for more than seven hours over the Sea of Japan, in a statement released as Japan’s prime minister began a surprise visit to Ukraine — and as China’s prime minister Xi Jinping made his continued own visit to Moscow.
The Tupolev Tu-95MS aircraft are capable of carrying nuclear weapons, and Moscow regularly flies them over international waters in the Arctic, North Atlantic and Pacific as a show of strength and as an intimidation tactic.
It also followed the March 14 crash of a US military surveillance drone in the Black Sea after being intercepted by Russian jets, in the first known direct military encounter between Russia and the US since Russia invaded Ukraine.
Just days after a US drone was shot down, a Russian fighter jet swooped across the Baltic Sea to intercept two US nuclear bombers
B-52 Stratofortress
crew: 5
Length: 159 feet 4 inches
Wingspan: 185ft
Top speed: 595 km/h
Range: 8,000 miles
Payload: 70,000 pounds of bombs
Cost: $84 million
Sukhoi Su-35
Crew: 1
Length: 71 feet 10 inches
Wingspan: 50 feet 2 inches
Top speed: 1,500 km/h
Range: 2,200 miles
Payload: 17,600 pounds
Cost: $43 million
“On March 20, radars of the Western Military District Air Defense Forces on duty over the Baltic Sea detected two air targets flying towards the state border of the Russian Federation,” the ministry said in the Telegram messaging app.
The targets were said to be US Air Force B52H strategic bombers.
Dramatic footage allegedly taken by the Su-35 on Tuesday appeared to confirm this. In the close-up video, one of the two American planes could be seen hovering above the clouds.
The two US planes had previously been escorted by Polish fighter jets.
Russia said a Su-35 fighter jet blew up to prevent a border violation, adding: “After the foreign military aircraft departed from the state border of the Russian Federation, the Russian fighter jet returned to its base airfield.”
The ministry said the Su-35’s flight strictly complies with international rules on the use of airspace. “No violation of the state border of the Russian Federation was allowed,” it said.
Tensions between Washington and Moscow are at their highest post-Cold War levels as Vladimir Putin continues his illegal invasion of Ukraine.
Ukraine has been heavily backed by the US and its NATO allies, with Russia accusing America of waging a proxy war in Ukraine.
The Su-35 and B-52 incident comes a week after two Russian fighter jets shot down a US Reaper drone over the Black Sea by dumping fuel on it.
The US criticized Russia for the incident over international waters while Moscow worked to recover the debris from the sea.
Meanwhile, Russia also said Tuesday it had flown two of its own strategic nuclear bombers — nuclear-capable Tu-95MS “Bears” — over the Sea of Japan.
The timing of the final flight seemed clearer than usual as Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was later expected to visit Kiev to show solidarity with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the war against Russia.
Japanese national broadcaster NHK showed Kishida boarding a train in the Polish town of Przemysl near the Ukrainian border.
Pictured: The two US nuclear bombers are escorted by a Polish fighter jet
The development came as Moscow said it flew two of its own Tu-95MS nuclear bombers (pictured, file photo) for more than seven hours over the Sea of Japan, in a statement released as Japan’s prime minister made a surprise visit to the Ukraine began
Russia said the strategic bombers carried out a “planned flight” escorted by warplanes. The Ministry of Defense said it was carried out in strict compliance with international law and over neutral waters.
In February, North American air defense forces were dispatched to intercept several Russian strategic bombers and fighter jets flying over international airspace near Alaska.
Japan, which has its own territorial dispute with Moscow over North Pacific islands dating back to the end of World War II, is a key Asian ally of the United States and a member of the Group of Seven Rich Democracies and has joined Western sanctions against Russia.
Kishida’s trip to Ukraine also coincides with Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Moscow.