Russia says its military scrambled MiG-29 and MiG-31 fighter jets, which identified the US planes as В-52Н strategic bombers.

Russia says its warplanes have prevented two bomber aircraft belonging to the United States from crossing its border over the Barents Sea in the Arctic.

“The crews of the Russian fighters identified the aerial target as a pair of US Air Force B-52H strategic bombers,” Russia’s Defence Ministry wrote on the social media platform Telegram on Sunday.

The ministry said the Russian military scrambled MiG-29 and MiG-31 fighter jets, which identified the US planes as В-52Н strategic bombers.

“As the Russian fighter jets approached, the American strategic bombers adjusted their flight course … and subsequently turned away from the state border of the Russian Federation,” the ministry said.

The Russian warplanes carried out the flight in compliance with international rules on the use of airspace over neutral waters, it added.

The Pentagon did not immediately respond to Russia’s claims.

Russia has reported similar incidents before when its planes have confronted military aircraft from NATO countries flying close to its border at a time of acute tension over the war in Ukraine.

The US regularly conducts drone flights over the Black Sea, asserting that these operations occur in neutral airspace and comply with international law.

In March 2023, a Russian Su-27 fighter jet damaged a US MQ-9 Reaper drone, causing it to crash into the Black Sea – the first direct clash between Russian and US forces since the Cold War, according to The Associated Press.

In June this year, Russia accused the US of using its reconnaissance drone flights over neutral waters in the Black Sea to help Ukraine strike the Russian-annexed Crimean Peninsula. It said that the flights increased the risk of a “direct confrontation” between NATO and Russia, and that its army had been instructed to prepare an “operational response”.

Last week, NATO leaders pledged to deliver at least $43bn in military aid to Ukraine within the next year to strengthen its defences against Russia. They also formally declared that Kyiv was on an “irreversible path” towards membership in the Western military alliance.