The New York Times reported Friday that us intelligence concluded months ago a Russian military intelligence unit offered bounties to the Taliban to kill American troops operating in Afghanistan.
US F-22 fighter jets intercepted four Russian Tu-142 reconnaissance aircraft Saturday entering the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), NORAD said in a statement. Most have occurred in the past month.
The NORAD jets have intercepted Russian military aircraft planes ten times in 2020 alone, according to NORAD. The group immediately changed the direction of its flight away from the Russian border when it realized their presence had been detected, the ministry said.
NORAD is a United States and Canada bi-national organization charged with the missions of aerospace warning, aerospace control and maritime warning for North America. The statement from the defense ministry also added that the Russian fighter plane adhered to regulations for use of global airspace. The last previous one was Wednesday when US F-22 fighter jets intercepted two Russian IL-38 maritime patrol aircraft entering the Alaskan Zone late Wednesday.
In late May, Russian pilots in two Sukhoi Su-35 fighters drew condemnation from the 6th Fleet after they intercepted a U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon reconnaissance aircraft over the eastern Mediterranean Sea.
Meanwhile, Stars and Stripes reported a Russian defense ministry statement announced a Russian fighter jet intercepted two USA reconnaissance aircraft and a refueling tanker as they flew in "neutral" airspace over the Black Sea.
The Russian planes stayed in the ADIZ for almost eight hours.
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