MOSCOW. Oct 18 (Interfax) - The Russian military has scrambled a fighter jet to shadow a U.S. Air Force warplane over the Sea of Japan, the Russian National Defense Control Center said on Sunday.
"On October 17, 2021, the Russian means of airspace control detected an air target approaching Russian state border over the neutral waters of the Sea of Japan. In order to identify the air target and prevent it from violating the state border of the Russian Federation, a MiG-31 fighter jet from the standby air defense forces of the Eastern Military District was scrambled," the center said in a statement.
"The Russian fighter's crew identified the air target as a B-1B strategic bomber of the U.S. Air Force and shadowed it over the Sea of Japan. The flight of the Russian aircraft was carried out in strict accordance with the international rules for the use of airspace," it said.
"Violation of the Russian state border was prevented," it said.