The South Korean Army Chiefs of Staff said on Tuesday that Russian military planes had entered the South Korean air defense identification zone without notice. Seoul picked up the fighters in response. The Russian Defense Ministry says the machines patrolled the neutral waters of the Sea of Japan.
The college of chiefs of staff in the South Korean army did not say how many Russian planes flew into the zone or what machines they were, Yonhap news agency reported. The incident coincided with a period of heightened tensions between Seoul and Moscow over the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“Regarding the entry of Russian military planes into the air defense identification zone, our military has taken tactical steps to prepare for possible accidents,” the South Korean headquarters said in a statement.
Russian Tu-95 bomber. Illustrative photo © Crown copyright 2012
The air defense identification zone is not national airspace and is not defined by any international treaty, but South Korean authorities require flying aircraft to report it, Yonhap reminds.
The Russian defense ministry said in turn that two Russian Tu-95 strategic bombers were patrolling the neutral waters of the Sea of Japan. The flight took about seven hours, and at some stages of the route, the Russian planes were accompanied by South Korean F-16s, the resort said.
Main photo source: © Crown copyright 2012