Russia says one of its warplanes has intercepted an American bomber near the Russian airspace.

“The crew of the Russian Su-27, in approaching the aerial object at a safe distance, identified it as a US B-52 strategic bomber and escorted it,” said the Russian Defense Ministry in a statement on Tuesday.

It went on to say that the snatch had occurred over the natural waters of the Baltic Sea as the bomber had been flying along the Russian border on Tuesday at 0700 GMT, adding that the fighter jet, which was part of the Russian Navy’s Baltic Fleet air defense patrol, had headed back to its airfield nest following the operation.

According to the statement, Russia’s air defense had dispatched the warplane on Tuesday morning after the detection of the huge bomber. The Su-27 then shadowed the American aircraft until it left the airspace, the ministry’s statement added.

Source: Press TV