Russia warns Britain against plans to fly spy plane over its territory, alerts air force to 'prevent violation of the border'

The Guardian
Tue, 16 Aug 2022 18:42 UTC

© Aviation Visuals/AlamyAssociated Press in Moscow

An RAF Boeing RC-135W Airseeker reconnaissance aircraft.

Russia's defence ministry has warned Britain against a planned spy plane flight over Russian territory, saying its air force has been given orders to prevent an intrusion.

The ministry said on Tuesday that the UK had sent a notice informing about a planned flight of an RC-135 reconnaissance plane along a route that partly passes over Russian territory.

"We regard this action as a deliberate provocation," the ministry said, adding that the Russian air force had been "given the task to prevent the violation of the Russian border".

It said: "All possible consequences of this deliberate provocation will lie entirely with the British side."

It did not specify when and where the British flight was planned.

On Monday the ministry said a Russian fighter jet was scrambled to intercept a British RC-135 reconnaissance plane that crossed the Russian border near the Svyatoi Nos cape between the Barents Sea and the White Sea. The MiG-31 fighter forced the intruder out, the ministry said.

There was no immediate response from the UK's Ministry of Defence.

Comment: The West is being rather shameless in its formulaic belligerence towards Russia and China, one might suppose that not only are they out of ideas but they're also getting pretty desperate; Putin said as much recently: